Frequent flyers know the struggle of frigid cabin air, but a jumper serves more than warmth. Chiropractor Chris Jolliffe explains that placing a rolled-up jumper in the small of your back provides essential lumbar support, reducing discomfort during long periods of sitting. This simple hack, endorsed by travellers on TikTok and Reddit, can make a significant difference to your in-flight comfort and sleep quality.
The science behind the jumper trick
Kristina Beanland, Metro's Lifestyle Editor, has spent roughly 64 hours on planes this year, from Barcelona to Nashville. She shares her top tip: fold a jumper, blanket, scarf, or pillow and place it in the small of your back. It has always helped her sleep, but she never knew why until now.
Chris Jolliffe, founder of Back To Fitness, tells Metro that this technique 'makes a significant difference when sitting for a long period of time or trying to sleep.' He explains: 'When you're sitting upright in an aircraft seat, there is often a gap between the seat and the natural curve of your lower back. A small amount of support in this space can help you maintain a more comfortable position and reduce the feeling of your lower back having to work to support you for hours at a time.'
How to position your improvised lumbar support
Chris adds that while he tends to opt for an inflatable lumbar support, you can make do with items you probably already have. 'You don't necessarily need a specialist product,' he says. 'A rolled-up small towel, jumper or item of clothing can work well.'
The key is not to overdo it. 'The important thing is not to overdo it,' adds Chris. 'You don't want to push the lower back into an exaggerated arch. The aim is simply to gently fill the hollow of the lower back and provide some support, rather than forcing the spine into a particular position.'
Even if the position feels comfortable, on a long-haul flight you still need to switch it up. Chris explains: 'The spine generally doesn't like being held in exactly the same position for hours, so changing your position regularly is important. You can shift your weight from one side to the other, adjust your hips, move your shoulders or simply change how you're sitting. These small movements can make a big difference over a long flight.'
Travellers praise the technique online
On TikTok, travellers are full of praise for this sleeping technique. @kelsey.rozeboom, a chiropractor, demonstrates rolling a sweatshirt or vest tightly and placing it in the small of the back. She notes: 'We all have that healthy curve back there & we should support it. The average human bends forward at the waist 3,000-5,000 times a day (yes this means sitting and we as humans do a lot of this). So, having something that supports our natural curve that's often lost with sitting is a must.'
Content creator Winnie says: 'I love to bring a lumbar roll with me always, even on shorter flights, anything longer than one to two hours. It helps to relieve all that pressure when you're sitting.' TikToker Kate Hooker calls it one of her 'best tips to maximise sleep on a long haul flight.' In a video, she told her followers: 'Get yourself a jumper, a blanket, a spare pillow, anything that you can fold up into a flat-ish situation and put it under the lower part of your back. I promise this will make you feel a little bit more comfortable.'
On the r/Flights subreddit, several posters have suggested the same advice. When one fed-up traveller asked 'Are there any hacks for actually getting some sleep on a long haul flight?', responses included 'plane pillow at my lower back for lumber support' and 'airplane pillow at lower back.'
Additional comfort tips from the chiropractor
Chris recommends the classic neck pillow for head and neck support too. He also advises being mindful of little annoyances lurking in your seat: 'I'd recommend checking what's around you before settling down. Make sure your seat belt isn't uncomfortably tight and avoid having bulky items such as a wallet, passport, phone or other objects in your back or side pockets if they are causing you to sit unevenly. Small things can become surprisingly uncomfortable when you're sitting on them or against them for several hours.'
If you're trying to sleep after eating, Chris warns to 'avoid unnecessary compression around the abdomen.' 'A very tight belt or waistband, combined with slumped or compressed sitting, can aggravate discomfort for some people, particularly those prone to reflux,' he says. 'Sitting relatively upright and avoiding tight clothing around the stomach is commonly recommended for people with reflux symptoms.'
Finally, Chris reminds travellers to get up and walk about, as long periods of immobility can increase the risk of DVT (blood clots). 'Simple exercises while seated include lifting and lowering the heels, lifting the toes while keeping the heels down, flexing and extending the ankles and gently tightening and relaxing the calf muscles. You don't need to wait until you feel stiff before moving — regular little movements throughout the flight are useful.'
Metro's Maria Astardjieva recently flew long-haul from London to San Francisco and packed a tennis ball in her carry-on to test its effectiveness for mid-flight aches. She reported: 'I started by positioning the ball at the base of my spine, just above my tailbone – the epicentre of that dull ache that seems to appear the moment you start approaching your 30s. Leaning back into the seat, I applied gentle pressure and slowly shifted my weight. Almost instantly, I felt relief…'
