It definitely helps to be flexible, short and a yoga master for sleeping on overnight buses. But even if none of these describes a traveler, one can still get a decent night’s sleep on the bus.
On an overnight bus ride, most budget travelers expect that sleep will be a distant dream, but there are many options for ways to sleep in a bus seat. It is important to keep in mind safety while traveling on an overnight bus.
Straight-Forward Sleeping on the Bus
This is the easiest way to sleep. It involves simply facing forwards and reclining the seat if possible. To help with this sleeping position, it is a good idea to put a sweatshirt or some other padding behind one’s back to help diminish any back soreness the next day. A neck pillow is helpful as well to avoid neck kinks.
Knees-Up Sleeping on the Bus
This is a variation of sleeping face-forward. It can be more comfortable to slouch in the seat and rest one’s knees on the back of the seat in front of them. This is especially helpful on twisty or bumpy rides so that one can relax more while sleeping because they are more securely braced. Be careful of the person in the seat in front on which one’s knees are rested on because if a sleeping passenger continues to shift their weight it will annoy the person in front of them.
Sideways Sleeping on the Bus
If a passenger has a window seat, they can brace their back on the window and curl up in a ball. This is better if they know the person next to them because it can be disconcerting for the fellow passenger to have someone facing them while they try to sleep. This position can be dangerous for a bus that stops and starts quickly because there is nothing to brace one from falling forward.
Sleeping with Two Seats on the Bus
If a traveler is lucky enough to have two seats to herself, their options are opened up further for sleeping positions. One can try to curl up sideways, his or her head on a seat and their legs either on the other seat or draped off of it, depending on how tall he or she is. It is useful to put a backpack in front of the seat that one places their legs on because they can use that as a foot rest.
Another option is to scoot as close to the window as possible and rest one’s crossed legs on the window. They can then, once again depending on their height, sleep on their back using a sweatshirt as a pillow for the head.
There are plenty of sleeping options for anyone who gets creative on long distance bus rides. Often one will simply fall into a position and wake up into it later. Take note if it happens to be comfortable to use again in the future. And when things get rough, it is helpful to consider sleeping on the bus as a way to develop a yoga practice.
