Is This The Reason You Can’t Sleep On A Plane?

According to a new study, it’s almost impossible for a person to fall asleep when they can hear a baby crying – a sound often heard on long plane or train journeys. Scientists from Oxford University scanned the brains of 30 people whilst they listened to various recordings. These recordings included sounds such as adults and infants crying, and cats and dogs whining. The researchers found that the participants’ brains showed activity when each recording was heard. However, the part of the brain that deals with emotions was by far the most active when the crying baby was heard. Katie Young, one of the researchers said: "The sound of a baby crying is something that really captures your attention in a way that few other sounds in the environment generally do”. We think this explains why many of us have no trouble falling asleep when there are other surrounding noises like engine sounds or people chatting, but struggle when we can hear young children crying. Dr Christine Parsons, another researcher involved in the study said "When you hear a baby on a plane you are immediately alert - it is one of those sounds that are very difficult to ignore, and it might facilitate us in responding quickly at a time when you really need to." So there you have it. Next time you’re about to leave your peaceful bedroom and set off on a long plane journey, take some earplugs!