Early morning flight, stay up all night or try sleep?

[Belindabelle]

Going on holiday soon. 6.30 flight and need to leave for the airport by 2am.

Should I just stay up the night before or go to bed around 8pm and try to sleep for a few hours. It’s only a 3 hour flight so doubt I will sleep on the plane.

Doesn’t seem much point in staying in airport hotel the night before as need to be there by 4am anyway.

My sleep is rubbish at the moment (menopause). I am getting too old for this shit. Wish I could afford a private jet to fly at a civilized time!

I have rubbish sleep thanks to menopause so I stay up really late the night before so on the night of the flight I’m tired and can nod off at 11ish and at least get 2/3 hours. That’s enough for me to function. Did this recently and am ex cabin crew and it works for me

Me: go to bed an hour or so earlier than normal (smiling at the poster suggesting 5pm - id never fall asleep at that point). Get up at crazy alarm, doze on plane.

DH: dont go to bed, and be grumpy as hell by 10am.

DS1: go to bed, get up early, not sleep again til next bedtime and gr cheerful through it all - teen now, been like this since forever.

Stay up.

Bed at 5pm

My DH sleeps like a brick, I have to wake him up for a flight like this. He then sleeps before the plane takes off and stays asleep until we land.

I cant do it but I just grab sleep when I can but the effing noisy announcements wake me up.

If you're going on holiday,you will cope. I don't know your circumstances, but grab sleep when you can.

I tried that once. Fell asleep on the sofa and nearly missed my flight.

We book an airport hotel and go to bed about 8pm. Rubbish night’s sleep of course because we wake up through the night to check the time, but I think something is better than nothing.

Hell, don't do an airport hotel, you won't sleep! I wouldn't spend the money

You will get some sleep if you go to bed by 9.30 pm - even a few hours is better than none - have a great time

I would try to be asleep for 7pm and set alarm for 1am. 6hrs sleep, coffee at the airport, read on the plane and a disco nap before dinner on the first night of the holiday.

I can't sleep before 10.30-11pm so that would be useless for me

Depends if you're under 30 or not. Under stay up. Over sleep.

I would go to bed about 7pm and try for 6 hours

I need to set this up a night earlier. So say the flight is 6am Tuesday morning I would go to bed as usual on Sunday night but get up very early on Monday morning, too early, early enough I felt sleep deprived but that I could work etc if I had to. Then Monday night I should be able to sleep earlier than usual as I'd be shattered and hopefully sleep 8pm - 2am or whatever fitted. If I slept as normal on Sunday night I'd never be able to sleep on the Monday night worrying about missing alarms etc. Even better if the Monday night is in the airport hotel so maximising sleep in the early hours part. Hate early flights but haven't missed one yet either way, am still trying to perfect this system 🫣

No matter how hard I try I never sleep fitfully if I know I’ve got to get up super early for a flight

Agree. Tried that. It is a waste of money.

I go for hotel and early night (not that sort of early night😀), but definitely an hotel where you can walk to Departures, faffing about with taxis or busses defeats the object.

l always look at flight times though with a view to avoiding silly o clock departures where l can. Airlines can change these though.

Airport hotel, bed by 8pm - you know yourself so avoid doing things that may disrupt your sleep like eating a few hours before you go to bed, alcohol. Exercise helps me sleep better as well as silicon ear plugs if in hotels. You still hear your alarm.

I think it’s worth paying the money to know the airport is a short walk away when the flight is so early but I never do very early flights now.

I must be odd as I love a 6am flight (airports 1 or 2hrs drive). No traffic on the roads (although always check for road closures) and can just get up and go. I go to bed around 8/9pm and sleep till 1/2am and then off.

Cant be bothered with the faff of an airport hotel and wouldn’t sleep anyway.

I would never try and stay up though.

I would go to bed a bit earlier than usual and get some sleep. 4 hours is a lot better than nothing.

My usual practice is to lue in bed, trying to sleep but failing as im worried about misding the alarm, to then fall asleep 30mins before the alarm, (which I do hear) and drag everyone out of bed.
Also checking the traffic several times during the night.

Those early flights are horrendous! We had a 6.15 flight recently which meant getting up at 3.15. Went to bed at 10 and did get some sleep. Wiped out the nect day. Never again.. good luck!!

I'd choose the airport hotel.

I'd also try to make it the last time you do such an early flight.

The only time I stayed up all night for an early flight, there was an issue on take off and the plane was grounded. The replacement plane was smaller so we had to wait for another. Took off early afternoon after being awake since 7 the previous morning. Not fun.

I think I'd go for early night in airport hotel now (unless going from local airport that's less than 45 minutes away).

This isn’t helpful at all I realise 🤣 but this is why I always pay extra to select the mid morning flight options …. I’m terrible with disturbed sleep.
But in your case op is get up earlier than usual and go to bed at 8pm and try to get 5 hours Kip.