How to pass the time on a long flight without sleeping pills
Passing the time on a long flight without sleeping pills requires combining seat-friendly entertainment with strategies for physical discomfort. People struggle to stretch their legs without feeling like they are in the way of others, which makes staying seated for hours painful and difficult.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Watching movies or TV shows on in-flight entertainment or downloaded devicesDid this help you?
- 2Reading a library book or e-bookDid this help you?
- 3Playing handheld video gamesDid this help you?
- 4Listening to podcasts or music with noise-cancelling headphonesDid this help you?
- 5Taking a short nap or dozingDid this help you?
- 6Eating snacks or mealsDid this help you?
- 7Organizing digital files, cleaning out emails, or editing phone photosDid this help you?
- 8Walking up and down the aisles during off-peak times like when people are sleepingDid this help you?
- 9Standing and stretching in the back galley or near the restroomsDid this help you?
- 10Doing seated exercises, ankle rolls, and stretches in the seatDid this help you?
- 11Using a small acupressure ball for muscle relief while seatedDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“In a long flight, how are people stretching their legs? My legs bother me sooooo much but I feel so stupid just walking up and down the skinny aisles!”source ↗
“I feel like my butt gets in everyone’s face or I’m just in the way. But I can’t stay seated for 8+ hours, it’s so hard.”source ↗
“I’ve never flown before and I think I’ve alleviated the fear aspect, but now more concerned on how to pass the time I guess.”source ↗
“I don’t want to take sleeping pills bc I’ll be super groggy going through the airport once we land, which doesn’t sound fun as a first timer.”source ↗
“I guess just looking for your favorite pass times for flights???”source ↗
Where this came up
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