<p>I have seen fellow passengers take something to make the sleep for international flight and want to see if anyone has any input about this
I personally cannot sleep on a cross Atlantic flight , though I wish I could. Last year , I flew solo and had a row of seats to myself ,yet still couldn’t sleep…</p>
<p>My youngest daughter has been reluctant to fly to Europe for some time, but as her grandparents are aging with one of them in failing health , it has become a subject that has come up as it will soon NOT be a choice. She tends to be on the sensitive, and sometimes phobic side when it comes to flying. </p>
<p>My husband and I are talking about taking a trip with her to convince her that her fears are unwarranted …it just so happens that a musician she really likes is performing in Denmark , which is where we fly when visiting husband’s family. It is a dangling carrot I admit and I am sure there will inevitably be responses from forum members that will ultimately criticize our parenting by not forcing her on a plane…</p>
<p>One option we have would be to talk to her pediatrician about giving her something to either calm her down or make her sleep through the flight, making the journey less stressful for her.
So my question is ,does anyone have first hand experience with taking something for a flight , of having their child take something for a flight ?
I personally envy people I have seen snooze thru the flight and wake up ready to roll and get going :)</p>
<p>Younger D had anxiety about flying. She met several times with a therapist to work on breathing techniques and strategies for dealing with the anxiety. One think that she brought on one flight was lavender spray that she sprayed on a scarf. Also when we were planning a cross Atlantic flight we talked to the pediatrician and she prescribed 4 Ativan. We had 4 long flights. What the therapist and Dr talked to my D about was not taking them unless she felt she needed it on the flight. The therapist felt that if my D knew she had the option it would help alleviate some of the fears. It helped a lot. I think she used 1/2 on each leg.</p>
<p>I think my daughter inherited anxiety issues from my mother , who has taken Ativan from time to time when going thru the death of my step-dad. Do either Xanax or Ativan help sleep or just relax you ? Did you try it our before flying or just when traveling ?</p>
<p>S1 is in the military. When his platoon deployed to the Middle East in November, they were each handed an Ambien when they steppped onto the very uncomfortable transport plane. He woke up when they landed in Spain.</p>
<p>I do not think a pediatrician will prescribe xanax or ambien or ativan to a child. Benadryl or another antihistamine which causes drowsiness would be more cautionary, but I would want to help her get over the fear of flying, which could have a negative impact on her entire life. Sometimes one anxiety get replaced by another, so better to get to the root of the fear before it branches out. Good luck! I love flying!</p>
<p>“Re: sleep…I don’t sleep well on long flights but I think I would do FINE if I were in one of those nice business class seat”</p>
<p>Soooooo right! If there is any way to upgrade to business class, it makes the experience so much nicer. Movies and food, lay down flat seats, less noise. Especially good if you are on one of the aircraft with the 3 rows of business class seats and you sit in the center. Don’t have to wake anyone up to go to the bathroom, and they don’t disturb you.</p>
<p>In lieu of that, the Economy Comfort seats on Delta are decent. Sit up front, plenty of leg room, not bad. I’m sure the other airlines have that option also. It is worth paying extra for.</p>
<p>If your daughter is fearful, that is what needs to be addressed. If her fears are eased, then she should be able to sleep (unless she has inherited your problems with sleeping on a flight).</p>
<p>I sympathize – for a recent transatlantic trip I took an ambien, and still didn’t sleep! I think it still helps a bit to be resting, but proper sleep is better. </p>
<p>If she’s flying alone, her ipod or similar device may be helpful. Make sure she has proper charging equipment. Sometimes you need to fight to find an outlet in the airport, and you may or may not have one on the plane. There are things that “hold a charge” and can transfer it to your phone or ipod.</p>
<p>I am interested in hearing ideas for this tangential phobia; DD is claustrophobic, apparently the feeling has always been there, but lately he has realized how significantly is affects him. He needs to fly trans-atlantic a couple of times this year and is concerned.</p>
<p>When I used to fly internationally for business, I always took an Ambien or other OTC sleep aid. I never was completely out, but just enough to feel rested at the end.</p>
<p>That sounds like my routine, GMT, except for instead of:
champagne
wine
port</p>
<p>I’d prefer
welcome glass of wine
wine with dinner
wine instead of dessert</p>
<p>But I wasn’t going to suggest that, as I’d assumed the child was a minor. If not, I always suggest a few glasses of alcohol to relieve the stress for people who are afraid to fly. And a few glasses for those who aren’t!</p>
<p>I hate flying so much that business class seats, wine, and movies don’t even help. I’ve been told to try Xanax or old school Valium, but I don’t want to be asleep if the plane crashes so I stay awake and freak out.</p>
<p>^^I don’t know, I think I might want to be asleep if the plane crashes.</p>
<p>But then again, I don’t want the plane to crash because I fell asleep.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, you won’t miss it, someone will start screaming and wake you up if you’re going to crash.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you are flying on the majors, the chances of crashing are pretty miniscule. You take a far greater risk driving around the block every day. May as well relax, because being terrified doesn’t make you safer and it doesn’t help in any way.</p>
<p>I watched a friend go through desensitization therapy regarding her fear of flying, and she finally got on that plane for France, very proud of herself. Some Xanax may have helped the process. But I’d see the meds as an adjunct, after stress reduction techniques had been practiced. Learning to use the mental health system at a younger age may be of benefit for anyone with anxieties/phobias. </p>
<p>If on a non USA airline, would assume alcohol might be applied to the situation with far less age restriction. Age 16, Swiss air, I was thrilled.</p>