Scientists say alternate posture is best for sleeping on planes, avoid tray-table naps
Experts urge travelers to vary their position to protect spine, neck, and circulation during flights
On long flights the question of whether to recline or stay upright has drawn renewed attention as researchers publish guidance on how to sleep in the sky. There is no single best posture for most travelers; the recommended approach is to vary positions to balance sleep, comfort, and musculoskeletal health, and to avoid sleeping with the head resting on a tray table.
Dr Chris Seenan, a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at the University of Stirling, said most evidence about health risks from flying centers on circulation. Regular walks around the cabin help move blood to the extremities and reduce the risk of dangerous clots. The evidence on posture and musculoskeletal health, he said, is smaller, but posture still matters.
He suggested the best approach is to change posture regularly: reclining slightly with lumbar or neck support, sitting upright, or leaning forward for short rests. Reclining can reduce loading on the spine and neck but may increase shoulder pressure, he noted.
Experts caution against staying in one position for too long. Suzanne Snodgrass, physiotherapist at the University of Newcastle, echoed that alternating between recline and upright helps prevent pain. She warned that hunching over with the head on the tray table is not good for back or neck posture.
Professor Kieran O'Sullivan, a physiotherapist at the University of Limerick, said there is no one ideal posture on planes; the best posture is the next posture. He noted that all positions have pros and cons, and frequent movement is key when possible.
That means no posture is particularly good or bad, but changing position and posture frequently might be the way to go when possible, he told the Daily Mail.
Regular movement remains important for circulation, and the advice to walk and stretch in the cabin is widely cited in research summaries and medical commentary on long flights.
On sleep specifically, Elizabeth Broadbent, professor of health psychology at the University of Auckland, said lying back tends to make people sleepier, whereas sitting upright keeps them alert. She noted that lying down can help most people fall asleep more easily, though comfort and seating constraints vary by aircraft.
Social tensions surrounding reclining persist. Some travelers view reclining as inconsiderate or harmful to the person behind them, and videos of in flight confrontations have surfaced in recent months. Airlines have added more seats per cabin to boost revenue, reducing personal space and fueling the debate over seat etiquette. Regulators allow airlines latitude in cabin density as long as evacuation can be completed within 90 seconds in an emergency.
Amid the debate, a travel hack to avoid the middle seat gained attention from a popular travel influencer who demonstrated a method to sidestep the center seat on some routes. The guidance and hacks illustrate how passengers navigate comfort and safety in increasingly dense air travel.
Overall, health professionals say variation of posture, combined with regular movement, offers the best balance between sleep quality and musculoskeletal health on flights.