Flight attendant reveals why you should never fall asleep before take off

If you want to know how something on a plane works then ask a flight attendant.

They've been zipping across the skies long enough to know pretty much all the tips and tricks that come with air travel.

Generally they appreciate passengers who do as they're told, listen to the safety announcements and don't act like creeps around the female members of staff.

Basically, if you mind your manners then you ought to be alright.

What they don't want you doing is messing the place up, being weird or going to the plane toilet without your shoes.

They also know that peppermint tea can help you calm your nerves if you're an uncomfortable flyer and the ways you might be able to wangle a seat in first class.

Now they're back with the next piece of advice, and this time it's telling you not to go for a nap before the flight has even taken off.

You might be inclined to sleep all the way to your destination and basically skip the journey, but that would be a bad idea, according to TikToking flight attendant Ale Pedroza.

She explained that if you sleep before take-off it's 'not good for your ears', and you'll also miss some crucial stuff.

She said: "I know travelling can be exhausting and sometimes you just want to get on an airplane and go straight to sleep.

"So not only is it not good for your ears to fall asleep before take off but you also want to remember that taxiing is one of the most crucial phases of flights.

"You want to make sure that you are completely aware and completely awake in case of an emergency or in case you have to evacuate."

Being asleep while the plane is taking off can also leave you vulnerable to ear barotrauma and you won't be awake to counteract it.

Swallowing and yawning during ascent and descent can help tackle it, according to the Mayo Clinic, but if you're slumped in your seat and in the land of nod then you'll have that to wake up to.

Provided, of course, that you do wake up to painful ears and not some sort of disaster - but that one is quite unlikely.

The flight attendant also explained that a plane taxiing was one of the most important parts of the flight which you really ought to be 'completely aware and completely awake' for if there's an emergency.

Another part of her advice echoed the warning not to take your shoes off and let your bare feet come into contact with the cabin.