British Airways has been swaddling its customers in happiness blankets. In a way.
In a trial last week, volunteers on the Heathrow to New York route (BA189 Dreamliner was the aircraft) covered themselves in soft, high-tech blankets. Woven with fibre optics, the blankets use neuro-sensors to measure a person’s brainwaves and changes colour, from red to blue, to show when they’re at their most relaxed and meditative.
British Airways hopes that monitoring a person’s sleep and relaxation patterns during a flight will help them to provide better service. Based on the research the airline could change meal times or the types of food served and could show different types of films. (Last week we reported on BA’s new in-flight film – The Seven Hour Train Journey to Oslo, which is seven hours of a train journey between Bergen and Oslo.)
The science of sleeping on a plane:
According to Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London, “Sleeping on a plane is a great opportunity to reset your body clock so you arrive at your destination after a long flight, feeling refreshed and rested.
“The short transatlantic flights west give a great opportunity for naps that will refresh you for that long first evening in New York or LA.
“Flying presents the body with a unique set of challenges, but getting a proper sleep on a flight isn’t rocket science. You need to ensure your brain has as few distractions as possible so that you can ease it into a different time zone.
“Lying down, making sure you have as much darkness as possible and covering your eyes from any available light source, by turning off your in-flight entertainment, phone and computer, all go a long way to helping you to sleep and fly well.”
11 tips to improve your sleep while flying:
- Have a light meal before you board.
- Book a seat that lies fully flat or reclines as much as possible.
- Kick off your shoes, to improve circulation.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine (tea, coffee or fizzy drinks).
- Drink water and fruit juice.
- If you want to sleep, try to not watch any films, use your device or mobile phone.
- Wear an eye mask, turn down your overhead light and pull down the window blind.
- Pop in your ear plugs or listen to a specially made relaxation soundtrack.
- Remember that sleep is vitally important, a chance for your brain to detox.
- If sleeping pills help, use them at bed time in New York, if you’re going from London to New York. If you’re flying from London to Beijing, take the pills at Beijing bed time, while you’re on board the flight.
- Make these steps your routine. Good sleep is a habit.
