As a former flight attendant, I hate when passengers keep the window shades open — and I've got good reasons

After working as a flight attendant for almost a decade, I (not pictured) encourage passengers to keep the window shades shut when we're in the air.

YakobchukOlena/Getty Images I used to work as a flight attendant , and I prefer passengers keep the shades closed during flights.

Passengers are typically calmer and sleepier when the cabin is dark, which worked well for us.

Shades should only be open during takeoff and landing, which is the best time for photos anyway.

There's a long-standing, quiet battle happening in airplane cabins around the world, and it's all about window shades.

Who actually owns control of the shade — the person sitting in the window seat, the cabin crew, or the row as a collective? ( Opinions remain fairly divided .) Is it better for the shade to stay open or closed throughout the flight? Between viral social media debates and endless discussions on flight etiquette , everyone seems to have an opinion, and so do I.

For nearly a decade, I worked as a flight attendant with an international airline.

That means I've examined thousands of window shades before takeoff and landing to ensure they were open, just as I checked seatbacks were upright.

Many airlines require the shades to be open during these times, which makes sense to me from a safety standpoint.

It's helpful to have a clear view outside in an emergency, and in case ground rescue teams need to see inside the plane.

However, once we hit cruising altitude , those safety rules pause, and my personal one kicks in: The window shades should be closed while we're in the air.

I've found that open shades can ruin sleep cycles and make a cabin rowdier Windows should be open for takeoff and landing, but that's about it.

Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images I honestly hate it when passengers keep their shades wide open, and it's especially bad on long, international flights .

I know firsthand how crossing multiple time zones can be exhausting for the body.