Entering the ZZzzz zone

Before takeoff

• There is no way you'll be able to settle into a sound sleep if your clothes are pinching, bunching or scratching. The sacred rule that governs travel outfits is: wear loose-fitting clothing in natural fibres.
• Stay up late the evening before travelling (some people even keep late nights for a whole week) so you work up a good sleep appetite. Don't fall on the flight comatose, but a long sleep before you board means many a wakeful hour on board.
• Massaging lavender oil into the temples or drinking a cup of camomile tea will assist the drop-into-oblivion process - so purchase these prior to departure.
• The Knee Defender is a plastic gadget used in the cabin of an aircraft which slides onto the arms of your tray table, for the express purpose of preventing the person in front of you from reclining their seat. The use of this item is prohibited on board any SAA aircraft.

In the air

• The real trick for sleeping on aircraft is to train yourself to relax completely.
• Meditation is a form of relaxation that some people associate with Eastern religions. In its most basic form, meditation allows one to stop the racing mind that prevents one from attaining a deep sense of relaxation. So how to calm the monkey mind? The simplest form of meditation is the deep-breathing technique. Slowly breathe in through the nostrils counting from one to three, release breath through the mouth on the count of three and make sure you're breathing from the abdomen, not the throat. Repeat about 10 times until you feel completely relaxed. It often helps to visualize in the mind's eye the numbers one, two and three as you count - this switches the mind off from the "talking head syndrome".
• For sleeping on aircraft, a good idea is one of those inflatable neck cushions.

On arrival

• You've followed all the rules and feel worthy of a treat. Run the most fragrant, steaming bath in the history of ablutions and stay there as long as you like - you've earned it.
• Give yourself a vigorous rubdown with your towel to get the circulation going again.
• As you lie on your bed to watch TV or snooze, put a few pillows under your feet so they are higher than your upper body, to improve the blood flow.
• Don't go against the clock. Sleep for an hour or so upon arrival but make sure you don't overdo it, otherwise when night time rolls around you're channel surfing instead of z-z-z-z-ing.