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We interviewed three active flight attendants (CAs), whose jobs are typical examples of irregular lifestyles. This time, we'd like to explore the sleep habits unique to CAs!
*This interview was conducted on March 13th.
[PROFILES] From back right: Ms. A (7 years domestic flights), Ms. B (12 years domestic and international flights), Ms. C (1 year domestic, 1 year international flights)
<CA Style> What do you pay attention to for sleep with an irregular job?
――Is there anything you pay attention to when sleeping at your layover?
Ms. B: When I was in my 20s, I was fine going to work without sleep, but after turning 30, I started to feel like I really needed to sleep properly.
Ms. C: Indeed, for domestic flights, I can somehow manage even if I only get two hours of sleep before work. But for international flights, the flight time is long, so I feel that I need to get a certain amount of sleep, otherwise it's physically tough.
――I imagine jet lag is very difficult. Do you usually take naps?
Ms. C: Yes, I do so in shifts. It depends on the route, but sometimes I can take naps depending on how service is handled on long routes.
――Is there anything you pay attention to regarding sleep due to jet lag?
Ms. B: It's more like sleeping when I want to sleep.
Ms. A: Not according to local time?
Ms. B: No. I sleep when I want to, and I tell myself, like saving up, "I slept for three hours earlier," and "I guess I don't need to sleep now."
<CA Style> What items do you want to improve sleep quality?
――Is there anything you wish you had to improve your sleep environment on the plane?
Ms. B: I want headphones.
Ms. A: Noise cancellation, right!
Ms. B: I want something with noise cancellation that I can use while sleeping. I probably can't sleep on my side while wearing headphones... And in hotel rooms, you can often hear the voices of people next door. Parties start just when we want to sleep.
Ms. A: Yeah, that happens, and construction too...
Ms. B: So, I wish there was something to block out noise. Even with earplugs, I can still hear everything, so it would be great to have something that blocks noise and can be used while sleeping.
Ms. A: I wonder if something like that exists?
――Bose released small noise-canceling earbuds, didn't they?
*Currently not for sale.
Ms. B: Oh, they did! And they don't interfere with sleep!
Ms. A: It would be best if they could also wake you up with an alarm.
Ms. B: Oh, that's right!
Ms. A: The scariest thing is not hearing the alarm.
Ms. B: Being late is the most frightening thing.
――Are there any items you wish you had to get a good night's sleep during layovers?
Ms. A: I can sleep anywhere, but if I don't humidify, I tend to catch a cold and can't sleep. My skin and hair also get rough with makeshift products I bring for travel instead of my usual care products, so humidification is crucial.
――The balance of humidity and temperature is important. Ms. C, do you have anything to add?
Ms. C: Sometimes I don't really like the pillows. I can still sleep, but... While a pillow isn't something you can carry around easily, I think it would be easier to sleep if there was something portable that you could put on top of the existing pillow to make it more comfortable.
Ms. C: Sometimes, in domestic flight layovers, there are pillows filled with grain-like material, and I really dislike those.
Ms. A: Oh, I thought you liked buckwheat hulls (laughs).
Ms. C: Those are a bit tough, I think (laughs).
――Are there any sleep goods you wish existed on planes that would benefit both passengers and crew?
Everyone: Hmm... that's difficult...
――By the way, it seems that with the eye masks distributed by Arab airlines, you can communicate your needs through the color and text on the eye mask.
Ms. B: Smart!
Ms. C: Wow!
Ms. A: Impressive!
Ms. C: This is really good. All airlines should do it.
Ms. A: Don't international flights use "wake-up" stickers?
Ms. B: International flights use them too! We use stickers.
Ms. A: They're stickers that say, "Please wake me up when I'm awake."
(This was the moment everyone got most excited. Lol)
――Brain Sleep makes pillows like these. Please feel them. The material inside is breathable, so it doesn't trap heat, making it comfortable to use.
The three CAs touching the "Stanford's Best Sleep-Inspired Brain Sleep Pillow," developed by Brain Sleep.
Ms. C: Oh, wow!
Ms. A: It's quite elastic, isn't it?
Ms. B: Wow, amazing.
Ms. A: But it's true, big hotel pillows can be difficult to sleep on in the summer because they trap heat.
<CA Style> What do you do for a good night's sleep?
――Is there anything you do before going to bed?
Ms. A: My bedtime ritual is to take a bath, and then stretch after I get out. After stretching, I do a lymphatic massage from my feet upwards. I can't sleep without doing that, so I always do it.
――Has your sleep changed since you started working?
Ms. B: My life is not regular. It's the epitome of irregularity. I used to be a morning and night person, but lately, I get sleepy at night.
Ms. A: Sometimes you have to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning, don't you?
Ms. B: That's right. My work start time is not fixed; sometimes it's very early in the morning, and sometimes it's late at night. So, I try to sleep by calculating backward from my work time.
Ms. A: It's like storing up sleep, isn't it?
Ms. B: Yes, when I have an early morning, I wake up every hour and can't get a deep sleep.
(It's truly amazing that they're always smiling even in such conditions...)
――Given your job, you absolutely can't be late. Do you always wake up with a regular alarm?
Ms. B: I use two alarms: my iPhone and my iPad. It's out of fear that one of them might run out of power... haha.
Ms. A: I also use the hotel alarm.
Ms. C: When I have an early start and I'm at home, I use a loud alarm clock. Otherwise, it's my phone.
(Considering the risks, it's "better safe than sorry," right!)
――How do you handle passengers who snore loudly on the plane?
Ms. B: We speak to customers who are snoring excessively. We say, "Sir/Madam, you were having a nightmare!"
Ms. A: Clever!
Ms. C: That's a good one! I didn't know that.
Ms. B: When you say that, the customer gasps. But they start snoring again soon...
Everyone: (laughs)
――Is there anything you would like to improve about your sleep at home?
Ms. C: When I hear people talk about buying a good bed, I think, "Oh, I want one too." Since I spend a lot of time sleeping on my days off, I think it's okay to invest in good quality for things you use often.
――Japan is the most sleep-deprived country in the world, but do CAs talk about "not being able to sleep" among themselves?
Ms. B: People who can't sleep due to jet lag seem to take medication to sleep. It seems common among foreign crew members. For Japanese people, sleeping pills are a high hurdle because they fear, "What if I can't wake up?"
――Do you discuss sleep with your mom friends, not just at work?
Ms. A: We don't really talk about bedding, but the conversation inevitably turns to getting children to sleep. There are bedtime storybooks sold, but I felt they were just long.
Everyone: (laughs)
Ms. A: They're Japanese translations from overseas, but even adults get sleepy (laughs).
――When you wake up in the morning, do you have any methods to fully awaken yourself?
Ms. C: When I have an early morning for domestic flights, I don't get much sleep and my mood is down, so to force myself awake, I blast EDM at full volume.
Ms. B: Wow!
Ms. A: I can understand that.
Ms. C: It's like forcing myself to wake up (laughs).
Ms. A: I don't know if it wakes me up, but I eat breakfast immediately after waking up. I always take an hour and a half from waking up until I leave for work, because my body won't wake up otherwise. I used to calculate backward to prepare my body for awakening.
Ms. B: I'm the same; I want at least an hour and a half from waking up until I leave the house.
<CA Style> Summary and About AskCA
――Summary
Everyone was struggling with the "epitome of irregularity," where their work start times were inconsistent, and their sleep environment changed depending on the hotel they stayed at.
Falling asleep was easy due to work fatigue, but the problem was waking up in the morning. Unlike typical business people, their wake-up times were also irregular. However, their unique methods of waking up were interesting: using double alarms on an iPhone and iPad, having a routine of ensuring 1.5 hours in the morning, and blasting EDM at full volume upon waking.
Also, the "eye masks" amenity distributed to passengers by an Arab airline were highly praised by the CAs because they don't disturb passengers' sleep and allow CAs to instantly understand what the passenger wants. (We'd certainly like to see Japanese airlines adopt this.)
We heard many unique stories.
Moving forward, we will continue to highlight the sleep situations of those working jobs with irregular lifestyles, and as the editorial team, we hope to find ways to support them, even in small ways.
