I’m a person of structure and routine, and navigating the airport is no different. I call my Lyft or Uber at least two and a half hours before my flight boards (and even earlier during the holiday season) so I have two solid hours to print my boarding pass, get through TSA security and head straight to Starbucks to order my price-gouged iced shaken espresso and asiago bagel.
I don’t just do this because getting to my gate early and having a delicious snack before boarding brings peace of mind. I do it because routine brings comfort, and that’s exactly what I need before stepping on a plane.
I’ve had flight anxiety for years. Yes I know about the “jello theory,” which is a method to visualize how turbulence works when flying through the air, which is supposed to ease the fear of flying. And yes I know that the frequency of plane crashes is essentially zero, 0.0001% to be exact. It doesn’t matter how much mental prep I do before the flight boards, my hands still shake and my heart rate rises to a troubling degree.
When I started flying more frequently a few years ago, I decided I had to find an effective way to ease heart palpitations and feelings of anxiety. One of the things that helped the most are the devices I have on me literally at all times: wireless headphones. While I use my beloved Beats Studio Pro, any AirPods or wireless earbuds with noise-canceling features work. That’s because noise canceling can help ease flight anxiety by reducing sensory overload and make it easier to relax and regulate your nervous system.
Below, I explain how I use my favorite wireless headphones for flight anxiety and the expert-backed science behind this trick. For more health tips, learn how to stop and prevent an anxiety attack. You can explore this guide for everything to know about anxiety.
Ease flight anxiety and fatigue
To me, the worst part of flying is the noise. The constant hum of the airplane engines and the unsettling clatter of the aircraft during turbulence heighten my anxiety. Not to mention the rattling of overhead compartments, chatter from fellow passengers or — perish the thought — a crying baby.
Noise-canceling earbuds act as a barrier to all of it. The noise-canceling technology in my headphones helps by creating a soothing, impenetrable bubble that blocks out the auditory chaos and creates a quieter and more peaceful environment.
Flights can often create sensory overload with low-frequency rumble and background noises, which can lead to sensory fatigue. While it’s important to rest on long flights (especially overnight and international flights), but it’s hard to calm down, relax and lower your heart rate enough to sleep with your brain constantly processing noise.
Have better rest and sleep
On any flight, getting restful sleep can feel challenging. But it can be downright impossible on a turbulent flight with sudden jolts waking you up.
While activating noise cancellation can’t prevent the shaking or rattling, it can help reduce external distractions exacerbated by turbulence, making it easier for you to drift off. Light sleepers, like me, can particularly benefit from this feature, as it prevents our brains from picking up on every small sound, keeping us alert and unable to have better sleep.
Noise-canceling earbuds act as a barrier to all of the stressors of an airplane.
Focus on calming distractions
When I’m flying, I rely on distractions — like calming music, mindfulness apps or in-flight entertainment — to ease my flight anxiety. Noise cancellation enhances these activities by blocking out background noise, making it easier for me to immerse myself in what I’m streaming and forget about the fact I’m trapped in an aircraft. Before the flight, I like to create and download a playlist of songs, audiobooks and podcasts. This way, I’m never up in the air without soothing activities that can further help reduce my anxiety during the flight.
