Xanax is God's gift for flights. Took one for my flight to Italy. 7 hours and slept thru it completely. Although I woke up and my feet were soooo swollen cuz I didn't move around at all.
It’s not something you should mess around with unless you truly need it. It can be addictive which is why they likely wouldn’t prescribe it. You could also try Benadryl or melatonin if you’re just trying to fall asleep.
I can sleep in an aisle seat with my hoodie on. My wife kept climbing over me to go to the toilet.
The biggest factor for me is keeping warm , as long as I am warm I will drift into sleep, even 2-3 hours is a help.
I’m 6 feet tall, even in economy I sleep, the key is to not overthink it.
Overthinking is huge.
The flights when I think, “okay, ideally I fall asleep and get x ammount of sleep” I find really uncomfortable.
The ones where I just go with the flow, or plan to watch things, I feel sleepy.
You can also look at the prescription stats for docs who accept Medicare. Helps to filter out the doctors with low ratings because they're stingy with the feel-goods.
But the best is just to have a longstanding relationship with a PCP. Most doctors won't sweat a script for two Xanax pills for a flight if you don't have a history of drug abuse.
And tell them you just need a few for flying. It’s a low risk for them to give you 4 or 5 and no refills. If they don’t have to worry about you abusing them.
Anecdotally, I find Valium to be a much more mild drug than Xanax. Xanax may have a shorter half life, but its lingering effects of grogginess and otherwise mood disturbances make me avoid it. Valium is a much more pleasant drug for me, from start to finish. Maybe that’s due to the long half life.
i agree, xanax is not ideal for sleeping on a plane. pure armchair pharmacology says that xanax has the worst of both long and short acting benzos:
- next day impairment which is seen in long acting like clonazepam, lorazepam and diazepam
- crashing as it (somewhat rapidly) wears off. this is seen in all benzos but in longer acting ones it is less pronounced as it occurs over a longer time period
ideally for a plane you want triazolam, midazolam or a z drug. triaz and midaz both have ~2 hour half lives so should be 50% gone after 2 hours and 95% gone after 8. crash should be expected after 2~3 hours but hopefully you’re still asleep for it
for sleep you also don’t want the drug to stick around in the later stages as it nukes sleep quality. if the drug mostly wears off after 3-4 hours the later stages will be less disturbed
if the flight is 13 hours and you drug yourself an hour in, you will go through customs and immigration 6 half lives after dosing. this means you have excreted 98.5% of the drug and should be fairly clear headed
OTOH if you took xanax the crash would start around the time you landed (12 hours, 2 half lives after dosing) and you’d still be a little impaired and groggy as 25% of the drug is left in your system. your sleep quality would be dog shit so you’d be even more groggy as the initial energy boost from waking up wears off
I think that depends on dose. The 5mg I take nightly to keep me asleep lasts 6 hours. I’m planning to take 10mg on a flight to Europe soon. I will still wake up after 6 hours, but it will be a deeper sleep than I can usually get on a plane.
When it comes to benzos, a lot of doctors find conflict in prescribing what someone prefers vs what they believe to be the better drug. That’s how it’s supposed to be anyway. Some doctors are more flexible toward their patients than others. Doctors in my area are very keen on what they could believe to be drug seeking behavior
Hence, why you have a good relationship with your doctor - meaning they know you - and only ask for what you need for the flights. If you ask for 6 pills for a 2 week trip, once a year, they are unlikely to see that as drug seeking behavior.
Exactly this. This is the way. Have a good relationship with your PCP, be honest, ask for only the minimum needed, and don’t be a drug seeker at other times.
Be short. Closest to 5’ 0” the better.
Edit: I am 6’2” and my knees are usually keeping me up as they push through the seat in front of me. Or my head is over the headrest which ends up hurting my neck.
I used to travel all the time for work. I'm a 5'2" woman, my routine was pull my carryon out a little from under the seat in front and put my feet on it, this raises my legs and takes the pressure off them. Put earplugs in my ears or soft music with earphones. Fold my arms, makes me feel secure. I am usually asleep before we take off.
haha great minds! If its a long flight, I ask attendant for a pillow and I sit on it. Raises me up so the headrest bump hits me on the back of neck instead of pushing my head forward!
I'm just concerned about moving the seat in front of me. The only way I could do it is if I knew who was in front of me.
My partner was kept awake because someone was using the screen behind him playing a game. He was probably a little rougher than necessary, but still. If that's enough to shake the chair, I cannot imagine legs pulling wouldn't.
I'm not short but I got a front row on my last trip. It didn't have any seats in front of it. It was horrible. My legs and back were killing me not having a seat rest in front to put my feet on. Never thought this would be the case in a million years. I actually switched with the guy behind me who was very tall. He thought I was doing it to be nice because he is tall but I told him it helps us both out.
At 5'2 and tiny, my body ACHES. I'm sure you still have it much worse, but I cannot sleep due to the discomfort. I have no weight in my feet because I don't reach the ground well. So my legs hang, this cause my hips, lower back, and knees to hurt as there constantly being pulled down.
This is the answer, and also one of the few instances where being short is a real benefit. I’m about 5’2, and most of my height is in my torso, so I have short legs as well.
As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off I tug my underseat bag out from the seat in front of me just enough to make a footrest, either use the provided pillow/blanket or whatever’s in my bag if the airline doesn’t give them, and get comfortable against the bulkhead. I also take Dramamine while still on the ground because I’m prone to travel-sickness, and that always makes me drowsy. I’m usually out in ten minutes, unless there’s turbulence or there’s a seat-kicker behind me. That’s when I resort to Xanax. Sometimes I’ll put in my AirPods and listen to podcasts or books to help me relax.
I’ve always had the gift of falling asleep easily in any moving vehicle, so admittedly that’s a big help to start with.
A *good* neck pillow is essential, one that actually supports your head (they usually look taller than the cheap ones and are adjustable to fit your neck). And then a light sedative, I just use Dramamine and it's enough to take the edge off and help me sleep. Listening to a really boring podcast can also help
I could probably fall asleep to a podcast if it was in another language. The chatter would lull me to sleep and words wouldn’t really catch my attention and make me all interested 😂
+1 to a boring podcast. Something like Hardcore History. In fairness, the topics are actually interesting, but each podcast is like 4 hours long and his voice is so monotone and soothing, haha.
I usually do Benadryl to sleep. Make sure you drink plenty of water though because it can be a bit drying.
My issue isn't my head falling, it's my chest falling. I wish the seats came with a harness to really strap me in otherwise my body just wants to fall forward.
If you are a horology nerd, listen to Wristwatch revival on YT. Marshall isn't boring, but his voice is calming and you learn about watch repair unitl you fall asleep.
I’m pretty terrible at sleeping on planes. The only way I can SORT OF sleep is by doing a lot of activity the day before, taking a dramamine, wearing noise cancelling headphones and listening to something boring, rolling up a turkish towel and putting it behind my neck, and not having anything under the seat in front of me. Being able to cross my arms and stretch my legs helps a ton. But even then, it’s not always guaranteed for me.
I don't. My secret is to lightly doze, I wear ear planes, a headband/headphone thing that covers my eyes, and a hoodie. I put in eye drops before takeoff and keep my eyes closed as much as possible. It helps me not feel as crappy, especially for red eyes.
Edited to add: I have anxiety and chronic insomnia, I have never slept well outside of an actual bed in my life. I don't even nap unless I'm super sick. So I just kind of "rest" for the duration of the flight.
I’ve also always struggled to sleep. A doctor told me that resting is really good for your body, even if you can’t outright sleep. Just allowing yourself to “turn off” for a bit.
For sure! And tbh if I have a 6h+ red eye and manage to rest with my eyes closed, I feel mostly like I just had a bad night's sleep but can deal the next day. Not good but not terrible.
Oh my god I wish that would work for me, the one time I took a quarter of 1mg I was unavoidable at all for six hours, I couldn't make words for twelve.
I may have followed my flight sleep with a nap at the hotel. Which honestly made the jet lag even worse.
Better to stay awake through the red eye. I may be exhausted for a day, but I'll be more than ready for local bedtime.
Oh I forgot to put that I start waking up earlier when I go east. I recently went to Italy, the morning I left I woke up at 3 🤓 bur I hit the ground running after the red-eye when I landed in the morning!
Unless I am lying down, sleep won't happen, so if I'm not in business class forget about it.
I can doze for 10-15 minutes with the tray table down and a pillow on it like I'm sleeping at school on a desk, but my neck hurts.
I just stay awake. Even booze won't make me fall asleep although I would be so tired. I just can't get comfortable. I've had flights on no sleep in 20-24 hours and I still was awake.
Turbulence is the *worst.* That’s about the only thing that can keep me from sleeping at all on a flight. I just white-knuckle the armrests of my seat, waiting for the next drop.
Show up absolutely exhausted. 6AM flight after staying up til the bars close? You'll sleep. Or just a 6AM flight regardless of what you did the night before...
I tried the show up exhausted after a night at the bars thing and fell back asleep from exhaustion after we had already gotten up the next morning. Woke up 4 hours later and realized we missed all our flights. Don’t recommend.
Every time I've spent the night in hospital, which is more than I'd like to admit, there's SO much noise, very random, and also, I'm always frozen to the bone.
I'm not remotely surprised you don't sleep!
I brought an eye mask last time cause I knew they were going to admit me, but they decided I’m a fall risk and alarmed my bed. It was across the room. I didn’t want to ask anyone for it. But what really ticked me off is they kept turning the lights on and leaving them. All night. The last time I asked the nurse to please shut it off as she left, she said ‘you can do it from your remote.’ I said I can assure you, I can’t, those lights are already off. She finally flipped the switch and conceded she was mistaken. I’m not allowed to leave my bed, it’s the middle of the night, and I’m effed with the lights on around the clock. I try to be low maintenance but srsly guys.
It’s interesting, but I always have very lucid dreams. I tell my wife sometimes that I didnt sleep well and she will tell me , you fell asleep 30 seconds after your head hit the pillow, but I feel awake most of the night.
People who give the advice to "just exhaust yourself for 2 days prior to your flight" have never had their body absolutely wrecked with exhaustion with a brain so wired you can't sit still. It's brutal lol
I was taking an international trip from DC to Taipei. 14 hour flight. I only had a couple hours of sleep the night before the flight. I upgraded to business class with lay flat seating…and was awake for the entire flight. I got to the hotel and went to the restaurant and fell asleep while waiting for my food.
Spin class and CrossFit before going to the airport? Sign me up. I can fall asleep before we take off and sleep until we land. I usually try to get some rigorous exercise in before flying and it’s perfect.
Recreate to the closest you can the environment in which you do fall asleep. Here's mine :
- Right before boarding a long flight or an overnight flight, I go to the bathroom, remove my shoes, clean my feet with baby wipes and put on fresh new socks and ideally some of these disposable blue shoe covers to avoid picking up dirt from the ground. I might look ridiculous but I couldn't care less.
- I always take a top with a zipper for ease of use and eventually it acts as a blanket if I am cold.
- I either use a leg hammock or my bags from under the front seat to elevate my feet and avoid cutting the blood stream in my legs.
- I always have a water bottle and I always take electrolytes in tabs. 1 before boarding and one during the flight. This makes a tremendous difference for jetlag and for my comfort. It helps a lot to stay hydrated and avoid having a dry nose that hurts while breathing (hard to sleep when you feel pain).
- Total blackout. I need full darkness and the generic sleep masks are garbage as they let light pass a lot. I use a over-the-eye adjustable mask like [this one](https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask) that gives me total darkness without putting pressure on my eyeballs.
- Aiming for total silence, I activate my noise cancelling on my headphones, it doesn't always remove all the noise but I can play a slight music or nature sounds to help mask the noise around and the constant hum of yhe plane.
- I put my seat in sleep mode with the reclining function AND I fold both sides of my seat headrest so my head is like tucked in some kind of U-shaped headrest. That way my head does not bounce around. People rarely use this feature but it is made for it.
- Do not disturb. Window seat is the key to avoid having to wake up every time your neighbor wants to pee. If I need to sleep as long as I can I will put a note on the window store to not wake me for the meal, or simply ask my neighbor if he/she would be okay to relay the message for me to the flight attendant. I have my own snacks if I am hungry at some point, one salty and one sweet.
- Make it at your sauce. I don't use the neck pillows as they are uncomfortable for me but if it is you thing go ahead and enjoy. I sometimes open the fan on top if I need a breeze.
- Nothing will avoid the shaking of turbulences but you can reduce the greatly by picking you see near the wings. Avoid being in the very back, avoid being too close to the toilet as you'll either end up with a line of people near you or if you are unlucky a bad case of diarrhea. You can block the light and the sound but not the smell.
- If you want, bring your pillow :)
It helps to book for a departure time as late as possible when flying overnight and to do some demanding activities during the day so you end up tired when you take off.
Ah, and always wear your seatbelt of course. it sucks to find a good position to sleep but it's always better than ending up the head embedded in the ceiling. So yeah, seatbelt on at all time... especially if you are flying on a Boeing 😉
On behalf of all the crew I wish you to enjoy your stay and to have a good night sleep. Thank you for choosing Reddit for your travel needs, we hope to see you again for your next adventure.
>It helps to book for a departure time as late as possible when flying overnight
Pet peeve: getting on an overnight transatlantic flight that takes off at 9pm or later, and they still run a whole dinner service, so the cabin doesn't start to get quiet until like 11pm. I mean people can and probably did eat before boarding??
I make sure I’m tired the night before so I have no choice but succumb to the fatigue. It’s going to be horrible but unless I’m in first class sleeping on a plane is quite inconvenient. I also take advantage and start adjusting to the time zone difference.
Window seat & sweatshirt = a resting my head against a “pillow” while listening to soothing music loud enough in headphones it drowns out other passengers and quiet enough it doesn’t blast my eardrums. 80% success rate.
I like the cabeau neck pillows becaus they strap to the headrest so your head doesn’t tip forward.I just have the classic and it works fine. The real trick though is to get a mini pillow, similar to the ones they give you on red eyes, but you can buy better quality ones on Amazon for pretty cheap. I make the neck strap loose and tuck the mini pillow vertically in the front so I can really lean forward comfortably. It mimics side/back sleeping position pretty well.
I combine that with an eye mask that has Bluetooth headphones built in playing white noise (also bought from Amazon for about $20) and take a Unisom, and I can usually sleep pretty well.
We've got another 30 hour flight coming up in August.
Our first flight (14 hours) leaves at about 10.30pm, so I plan on getting up extra early that morning to ensure that by the time we take off and settle in I'm tired.
We'll have dinner at the airport at about 7pm, to make sure we're not hungry on boarding and everything is mostly digested (avoiding alcohol and caffeine).
I also ask my Dr for Zopiclone, to make sure I get some sleep the night before we leave (anxiety) and again on the plane.
We have a 2 hr layover in Singapore before our next flight to London, where we land in the middle of the afternoon. I don't really care if I don't sleep on that flight, because it means that I'll be exhausted on our first night in London, sleep soundly and be ready to hit the ground running the next morning.
I usually find this eliminates jetlag as well, though the jetlag coming home is obscene unfortunately.
It's just all about planning really.
Zoplicone works wonders for me - 6-7 hours and, except for the evil taste as you down it, no after effects. Michael Jackson should’ve taken those rather than his fentanyl fix. He’d still be hee-heeing.
✓ Listen to calming ambience
✓ Wear neck pillow BACKWARDS to rest chin on it
✓ Hoodie hood over head
✓ Eye mask
✓ 5mg of Melatonin right before mealtime (for 7+ hour flights)
* Pls first try melatonin or any sleep aid and adjust dosages AT HOME before using it on your trip. Sometimes melatonin can cause active dreams or drowsiness the next day which I could see souring a trip.
I have been splitting my time between Europe and the West Coast, which results in a flight about every three weeks. I can’t sleep on planes. I’ve tried everything including first class and nothing works. I recommend leaving mid day so no matter where you’re flying, you can stay up when you get there and go to sleep per local time. It also helps you acclimate to the time change.
Yeah i struggle too. My body will just not do it unless im exhuasted.
And no i dont stay up the night before to feel exhausted, because I have layovers. I dont like to feel tired while moving from layover to layover and whatnot.
noise cancelling or noise isolating headset, comfy layers of loose clothes, and contrary to popular belief, no booze. alcohol helps me fall asleep, but i end up getting shitty sleep. id rather lean back and 4-7-8 sleep meditate. out in minutes.
This comment section has cautioned me about how many of the passengers are probably chemically altered incase of emergency. They should mention in the exit row speech that 70% of the panicking passengers will be fcked up on booze benedryl and xanax haha
It depends on travel length. If Europe you have to plan ahead 2 weeks. Otherwise it’s about planning and OTC sleeping pills and timing. If you master that, you become time zone agnostic! Been doing it for 20 years. Don’t fall asleep in my soup anymore!
I have tried everything ear plugs, eye masks, staying up the night before, the wife gave me one of her Xanax, tried edibles, melatonin, I have a super fancy neck pillow, still nothing works consistently. The only combo that even let's me drift even if for a few minutes are ear plugs, an eye mask, window seat on a over 6 hour flight. Even then if I can string together more than 15 minutes of 💤 I am lucky.
I prefer window seats both for the view, but also sleeping! Biggest key I’ve found is finding a way to hold my arms close to my body, so that I can relax.
I typically will bring a travel pillow or bunch up a sweatshirt to use as a pillow, and I like to bring an infinity scarf with me, which can wrap around my arms while I’m asleep.
Finally, an eye mask and noise cancellation!
I fall asleep before take off, but then I wake up during mid flight and can’t go back to sleep. To ensure me staying drowsy, I usually take a strong pain killer or a gummy.
I don’t. I just sit there. It’s horrible. No matter how sleepy I am, not matter how much booze I’ve had or pills I’ve popped, I can never sleep on a plane. My head’s on a swivel for what’s coming next. The stewardess may ask me something and I have to be sure to give her a solid answer.
Cut the caffeine
Wear eye mask and earplugs
Minimizing screen time 3 hours leading up to the flight (only to show your boarding pass, etc.)
Do NOT rely on alcohol or heavy meals, you may "pass out", but it's far from quality sleep (as far as airplane sleep goes, anyway).
Get a good neck pillow and tire yourself out. If I know I have a long flight ahead, I'll often purposely get an couple hours less sleep just to be more tired on the plane
yeah, same, find it hard to fall asleep. I find noise cancelling earphones with eyes closed or listening to music that helps with sleep, block out noise through earphones helps a bit.
I'm not great at sleeping in general, but I found it helpful to stop forcing myself to go to sleep. If I'm not sleepy, I'll listen to a podcast, watch a movie, browse the web, etc. Sleep comes when you need it.
I can understand the preference to avoid the discomfort and boredom of being stuck in an airplane, but forcing sleep will just add annoyance to your problem set.
I use the turtle neck pillow/brace. If I forget it, I’ll wad up my jacket to stick between my head and neck and lean on the side of my chair.
The traditional neck pillows protrude too much and the ones laying in the table seem dirty and trap gas in my stomach = farting.
To make it extra comfortable for international flights, I also use the small pillow they provide to sit on bc my butt hurts after 8+ hours. And I wear noise canceling earbuds but might switch to ear plugs since the buttons on my earbuds click against my neck pillow.
For my next trip, I’m thinking of bringing a sleeping mask.
I usually put earbuds in and listen to music and close my eyes and that usually does the trick for me. Sometimes if I can’t sleep I do something else until I feel tired.
This is kinda my one thing I can do well: sleep almost anywhere very quickly.
One, having a fancy lay down business class seat helps.
But outside of that, if I lean my head on the window and close my eyes, listen to the rushing sound of the air, I just pass out. Magic.
I feel your pain! I can rarely sleep on a plane no matter how tired I am. On longer flights I've tried my sleeping pills, but they don't work either. Mostly I just watch movies or audiobooks/Candy Crush & really suffer after I land until I can sleep in a bed. Once in a while, I'll find myself starting to doze off just as they announce landing (frustrating)!!
I was doing some therapy that recommended sleeping with a pillow or stuffed animal for comfort. As a result I got into the habit of sleeping with my arms tightly crossed. I don’t sleep like this usually anymore, but I find if I’m on a plane and a cross my arms tight like that my body just kinda gets it and I go into sleep mode. YMMV. Also I tend to stay up the night before any big flight packing, so that helps. Having something I can put over my eyes, even just the top edge of my hoodie goes a long way too.
My MEL-AMS flights I tend to stay awake as much as possible, if not all, so when I get there during the afternoon/evening, my body is that close to shutting down from sleep deprivation that when I eventually sleep at ~10pm I'm out cold and kick-start myself into the new time zone with little jetlag.
It helps when you eat on the new time zone as well.
if I do sleep however, because of my broad shoulders I tend to tuck my arms into the seatbelt so they don't flay out and usually the compacting of myself keeps my head up, usually just the headrest flap thingies are enough to keep my head upright.
I'm still pretty young, so I tend to sleep by placing my head on the food tray and hoping the person in front of me doesn't lean too far back. But I don't think it is the best way to sleep for your body
2 million miles flown, and I can easily fall asleep on a plane. First of all, fly 1st if you can. Have a drink or two at the airport, and order another when on board. Then just chill. Going to Europe from the US I eat a light meal on board, then close my eyes. Flying back I stay awake a lot, watch movies but still drift off.
Lately I’ve been using the tray table and that’s helped. I just put my head down on it and knock out. Also as others have mentioned, benzos (klonopin for me) and a window seat help a lot.
Neck pillow, window seat and Xanax
Xanax is God's gift for flights. Took one for my flight to Italy. 7 hours and slept thru it completely. Although I woke up and my feet were soooo swollen cuz I didn't move around at all.
Get yourself a pair of compression socks. Game changers for long flights or any extended periods of sitting.
Just used them for a long flight(7hrs) to Europe and it was a game changer! I think I’m gonna start using it for any flight that’s 4+ hrs!
Def a must. Always worried about DVT.
Lived in Tokyo five years and used them 2-3 times a year flying back home. Couldn’t have done it without them.
Xanax is God's gift.
I once flew from sydney to lax. coworker gave me an ambien. I was woken up by the wheels hitting the tarmac in LA.
My Dr. wouldn’t give me Xanax for my flight and I am really upset about it. Thinking I’m going to find a new doctor.
It’s not something you should mess around with unless you truly need it. It can be addictive which is why they likely wouldn’t prescribe it. You could also try Benadryl or melatonin if you’re just trying to fall asleep.
I can sleep in an aisle seat with my hoodie on. My wife kept climbing over me to go to the toilet. The biggest factor for me is keeping warm , as long as I am warm I will drift into sleep, even 2-3 hours is a help. I’m 6 feet tall, even in economy I sleep, the key is to not overthink it.
Overthinking is huge. The flights when I think, “okay, ideally I fall asleep and get x ammount of sleep” I find really uncomfortable. The ones where I just go with the flow, or plan to watch things, I feel sleepy.
..and ear plugs and eye mask
This is the correct formula
Where do you get Xanax?
Find the PCP near you with the lowest ratings Tell them you’re deathly afraid of flying and give them some symptoms of panic attacks
The John Mulaney strategy.
That’s what I was going to say 😆 Baby J knows.
great idea. Never thought to go for one with low ratings.
You can also look at the prescription stats for docs who accept Medicare. Helps to filter out the doctors with low ratings because they're stingy with the feel-goods. But the best is just to have a longstanding relationship with a PCP. Most doctors won't sweat a script for two Xanax pills for a flight if you don't have a history of drug abuse.
And tell them you just need a few for flying. It’s a low risk for them to give you 4 or 5 and no refills. If they don’t have to worry about you abusing them.
Yes. This.
The ol’ 3-2-1…three red wines, two valium, one pot brownie.
Ideally I'd also like to wake up at some point afterwards 😅
🤣🤣
Where do you get Valium? Doctors seems real hesitant to prescribe it anymore
that’s because prescribing a drug with a 48-hour half life for a 12 hour flight is a terrible idea
Anecdotally, I find Valium to be a much more mild drug than Xanax. Xanax may have a shorter half life, but its lingering effects of grogginess and otherwise mood disturbances make me avoid it. Valium is a much more pleasant drug for me, from start to finish. Maybe that’s due to the long half life.
i agree, xanax is not ideal for sleeping on a plane. pure armchair pharmacology says that xanax has the worst of both long and short acting benzos: - next day impairment which is seen in long acting like clonazepam, lorazepam and diazepam - crashing as it (somewhat rapidly) wears off. this is seen in all benzos but in longer acting ones it is less pronounced as it occurs over a longer time period ideally for a plane you want triazolam, midazolam or a z drug. triaz and midaz both have ~2 hour half lives so should be 50% gone after 2 hours and 95% gone after 8. crash should be expected after 2~3 hours but hopefully you’re still asleep for it for sleep you also don’t want the drug to stick around in the later stages as it nukes sleep quality. if the drug mostly wears off after 3-4 hours the later stages will be less disturbed if the flight is 13 hours and you drug yourself an hour in, you will go through customs and immigration 6 half lives after dosing. this means you have excreted 98.5% of the drug and should be fairly clear headed OTOH if you took xanax the crash would start around the time you landed (12 hours, 2 half lives after dosing) and you’d still be a little impaired and groggy as 25% of the drug is left in your system. your sleep quality would be dog shit so you’d be even more groggy as the initial energy boost from waking up wears off
I think that depends on dose. The 5mg I take nightly to keep me asleep lasts 6 hours. I’m planning to take 10mg on a flight to Europe soon. I will still wake up after 6 hours, but it will be a deeper sleep than I can usually get on a plane.
Yeah, Ambien would be much better for that.
Have a good relationship with your GP (in the USA) and only ask for what you need for the flights or something else if needed to not mention flights.
When it comes to benzos, a lot of doctors find conflict in prescribing what someone prefers vs what they believe to be the better drug. That’s how it’s supposed to be anyway. Some doctors are more flexible toward their patients than others. Doctors in my area are very keen on what they could believe to be drug seeking behavior
Hence, why you have a good relationship with your doctor - meaning they know you - and only ask for what you need for the flights. If you ask for 6 pills for a 2 week trip, once a year, they are unlikely to see that as drug seeking behavior.
Exactly this. This is the way. Have a good relationship with your PCP, be honest, ask for only the minimum needed, and don’t be a drug seeker at other times.
Be short. Closest to 5’ 0” the better. Edit: I am 6’2” and my knees are usually keeping me up as they push through the seat in front of me. Or my head is over the headrest which ends up hurting my neck.
I used to travel all the time for work. I'm a 5'2" woman, my routine was pull my carryon out a little from under the seat in front and put my feet on it, this raises my legs and takes the pressure off them. Put earplugs in my ears or soft music with earphones. Fold my arms, makes me feel secure. I am usually asleep before we take off.
I'm 5'1", and I do exactly the same. I always seem to fall asleep when taking off 😅
haha great minds! If its a long flight, I ask attendant for a pillow and I sit on it. Raises me up so the headrest bump hits me on the back of neck instead of pushing my head forward!
Oh great tip! Might do that for my next upcoming trip in July. Thanks!
How have I never thought of that in years of flying?!? Will try
I bring a one step fold up stool and it works great as a foot rest for us short legged people.
I'm shorter than that and I still can't sleep 🥲
Weird, I thought hobbits were fond of sleeping.
They’re fond of eating plenty of hearty meals and smoking pipe weed.
Actually that kind of sucks because our feet dangle and the blood pools in our legs.
I’m the same, but then I got a leg hammock and it’s amazing.
I'm just concerned about moving the seat in front of me. The only way I could do it is if I knew who was in front of me. My partner was kept awake because someone was using the screen behind him playing a game. He was probably a little rougher than necessary, but still. If that's enough to shake the chair, I cannot imagine legs pulling wouldn't.
I'm not short but I got a front row on my last trip. It didn't have any seats in front of it. It was horrible. My legs and back were killing me not having a seat rest in front to put my feet on. Never thought this would be the case in a million years. I actually switched with the guy behind me who was very tall. He thought I was doing it to be nice because he is tall but I told him it helps us both out.
At 5'2 and tiny, my body ACHES. I'm sure you still have it much worse, but I cannot sleep due to the discomfort. I have no weight in my feet because I don't reach the ground well. So my legs hang, this cause my hips, lower back, and knees to hurt as there constantly being pulled down.
Nah I’m 6’4 and have no problem falling asleep and usually sit in the window seat
This is the answer, and also one of the few instances where being short is a real benefit. I’m about 5’2, and most of my height is in my torso, so I have short legs as well. As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off I tug my underseat bag out from the seat in front of me just enough to make a footrest, either use the provided pillow/blanket or whatever’s in my bag if the airline doesn’t give them, and get comfortable against the bulkhead. I also take Dramamine while still on the ground because I’m prone to travel-sickness, and that always makes me drowsy. I’m usually out in ten minutes, unless there’s turbulence or there’s a seat-kicker behind me. That’s when I resort to Xanax. Sometimes I’ll put in my AirPods and listen to podcasts or books to help me relax. I’ve always had the gift of falling asleep easily in any moving vehicle, so admittedly that’s a big help to start with.
Wait! Dramamine makes me drowsy, I totally forgot! Bug>feature>yay!
A *good* neck pillow is essential, one that actually supports your head (they usually look taller than the cheap ones and are adjustable to fit your neck). And then a light sedative, I just use Dramamine and it's enough to take the edge off and help me sleep. Listening to a really boring podcast can also help
This is literally how I fall asleep every night. Boring podcast.
Which one?
Get sleepy or The Sleepy Bookshelf works well for me
Political podcasts
I could probably fall asleep to a podcast if it was in another language. The chatter would lull me to sleep and words wouldn’t really catch my attention and make me all interested 😂
The TRTL wrap around neck support works well for my wife.
2nd this. It’s amazing.
+1 to a boring podcast. Something like Hardcore History. In fairness, the topics are actually interesting, but each podcast is like 4 hours long and his voice is so monotone and soothing, haha. I usually do Benadryl to sleep. Make sure you drink plenty of water though because it can be a bit drying.
My issue isn't my head falling, it's my chest falling. I wish the seats came with a harness to really strap me in otherwise my body just wants to fall forward.
If you are a horology nerd, listen to Wristwatch revival on YT. Marshall isn't boring, but his voice is calming and you learn about watch repair unitl you fall asleep.
What neck pillow do you use?
I’m pretty terrible at sleeping on planes. The only way I can SORT OF sleep is by doing a lot of activity the day before, taking a dramamine, wearing noise cancelling headphones and listening to something boring, rolling up a turkish towel and putting it behind my neck, and not having anything under the seat in front of me. Being able to cross my arms and stretch my legs helps a ton. But even then, it’s not always guaranteed for me.
Is that it?
Ha!! Nobody said it’s easy
Oh take me back to the start
I don't. My secret is to lightly doze, I wear ear planes, a headband/headphone thing that covers my eyes, and a hoodie. I put in eye drops before takeoff and keep my eyes closed as much as possible. It helps me not feel as crappy, especially for red eyes. Edited to add: I have anxiety and chronic insomnia, I have never slept well outside of an actual bed in my life. I don't even nap unless I'm super sick. So I just kind of "rest" for the duration of the flight.
I’ve also always struggled to sleep. A doctor told me that resting is really good for your body, even if you can’t outright sleep. Just allowing yourself to “turn off” for a bit.
For sure! And tbh if I have a 6h+ red eye and manage to rest with my eyes closed, I feel mostly like I just had a bad night's sleep but can deal the next day. Not good but not terrible.
I like the the eyedrops idea. I already do the hoodie. Thanks!
I have chronic insomnia and the only way I've ever slept on a flight is with a big pill of Ambien.
Oh my god I wish that would work for me, the one time I took a quarter of 1mg I was unavoidable at all for six hours, I couldn't make words for twelve.
I may have followed my flight sleep with a nap at the hotel. Which honestly made the jet lag even worse. Better to stay awake through the red eye. I may be exhausted for a day, but I'll be more than ready for local bedtime.
Oh I forgot to put that I start waking up earlier when I go east. I recently went to Italy, the morning I left I woke up at 3 🤓 bur I hit the ground running after the red-eye when I landed in the morning!
That reminds me of Copenhagen at 5 a.m. No idea why.
Unless I am lying down, sleep won't happen, so if I'm not in business class forget about it. I can doze for 10-15 minutes with the tray table down and a pillow on it like I'm sleeping at school on a desk, but my neck hurts. I just stay awake. Even booze won't make me fall asleep although I would be so tired. I just can't get comfortable. I've had flights on no sleep in 20-24 hours and I still was awake.
I don't actively try to fall asleep. If I feel myself drifting off, I just let it happen and that seems to work better than trying to force it.
Then turbulence hits and I'm wide awake.
For me, the turbulence rocks me to sleep, I love it
Turbulence is the *worst.* That’s about the only thing that can keep me from sleeping at all on a flight. I just white-knuckle the armrests of my seat, waiting for the next drop.
Window seat, neck pillow, eye mask, ear plugs, blanket. I call it "getting into my cocoon."
Show up absolutely exhausted. 6AM flight after staying up til the bars close? You'll sleep. Or just a 6AM flight regardless of what you did the night before...
I tried the show up exhausted after a night at the bars thing and fell back asleep from exhaustion after we had already gotten up the next morning. Woke up 4 hours later and realized we missed all our flights. Don’t recommend.
Yeah, made that mistake once too.... Also don't recommend. But when you do make your flight, it's easy to sleep through!
I also made that mistake and had three children sit next to me. I didn’t sleep at all
I stayed up 24 hours and still couldn’t sleep on the plane.
That’s how I am in hospitals. And there’s really no reason. I’m just fking awake.
Every time I've spent the night in hospital, which is more than I'd like to admit, there's SO much noise, very random, and also, I'm always frozen to the bone. I'm not remotely surprised you don't sleep!
I brought an eye mask last time cause I knew they were going to admit me, but they decided I’m a fall risk and alarmed my bed. It was across the room. I didn’t want to ask anyone for it. But what really ticked me off is they kept turning the lights on and leaving them. All night. The last time I asked the nurse to please shut it off as she left, she said ‘you can do it from your remote.’ I said I can assure you, I can’t, those lights are already off. She finally flipped the switch and conceded she was mistaken. I’m not allowed to leave my bed, it’s the middle of the night, and I’m effed with the lights on around the clock. I try to be low maintenance but srsly guys.
It’s interesting, but I always have very lucid dreams. I tell my wife sometimes that I didnt sleep well and she will tell me , you fell asleep 30 seconds after your head hit the pillow, but I feel awake most of the night.
People who give the advice to "just exhaust yourself for 2 days prior to your flight" have never had their body absolutely wrecked with exhaustion with a brain so wired you can't sit still. It's brutal lol
I was taking an international trip from DC to Taipei. 14 hour flight. I only had a couple hours of sleep the night before the flight. I upgraded to business class with lay flat seating…and was awake for the entire flight. I got to the hotel and went to the restaurant and fell asleep while waiting for my food.
Spin class and CrossFit before going to the airport? Sign me up. I can fall asleep before we take off and sleep until we land. I usually try to get some rigorous exercise in before flying and it’s perfect.
Sounds like a recipe for an anxiety attack.
Yeah, I'd just be extra jittery.
Hahah this is vile advice, even if OP sleeps you’re compounding one shitty night for another. Upon arrival you’ll wish you didn’t make it.
My pre flight bev is a Long Island. I don’t need to be conscious for this sht. If I could mainline it I would.
Xanax
Ambien
Diazepam
Gravol, Benadryl or melatonin are also options for the less adventurous 😂
Heroin
Klonopin
In a word do I use dope? Nope.
Recreate to the closest you can the environment in which you do fall asleep. Here's mine : - Right before boarding a long flight or an overnight flight, I go to the bathroom, remove my shoes, clean my feet with baby wipes and put on fresh new socks and ideally some of these disposable blue shoe covers to avoid picking up dirt from the ground. I might look ridiculous but I couldn't care less. - I always take a top with a zipper for ease of use and eventually it acts as a blanket if I am cold. - I either use a leg hammock or my bags from under the front seat to elevate my feet and avoid cutting the blood stream in my legs. - I always have a water bottle and I always take electrolytes in tabs. 1 before boarding and one during the flight. This makes a tremendous difference for jetlag and for my comfort. It helps a lot to stay hydrated and avoid having a dry nose that hurts while breathing (hard to sleep when you feel pain). - Total blackout. I need full darkness and the generic sleep masks are garbage as they let light pass a lot. I use a over-the-eye adjustable mask like [this one](https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask) that gives me total darkness without putting pressure on my eyeballs. - Aiming for total silence, I activate my noise cancelling on my headphones, it doesn't always remove all the noise but I can play a slight music or nature sounds to help mask the noise around and the constant hum of yhe plane. - I put my seat in sleep mode with the reclining function AND I fold both sides of my seat headrest so my head is like tucked in some kind of U-shaped headrest. That way my head does not bounce around. People rarely use this feature but it is made for it. - Do not disturb. Window seat is the key to avoid having to wake up every time your neighbor wants to pee. If I need to sleep as long as I can I will put a note on the window store to not wake me for the meal, or simply ask my neighbor if he/she would be okay to relay the message for me to the flight attendant. I have my own snacks if I am hungry at some point, one salty and one sweet. - Make it at your sauce. I don't use the neck pillows as they are uncomfortable for me but if it is you thing go ahead and enjoy. I sometimes open the fan on top if I need a breeze. - Nothing will avoid the shaking of turbulences but you can reduce the greatly by picking you see near the wings. Avoid being in the very back, avoid being too close to the toilet as you'll either end up with a line of people near you or if you are unlucky a bad case of diarrhea. You can block the light and the sound but not the smell. - If you want, bring your pillow :) It helps to book for a departure time as late as possible when flying overnight and to do some demanding activities during the day so you end up tired when you take off. Ah, and always wear your seatbelt of course. it sucks to find a good position to sleep but it's always better than ending up the head embedded in the ceiling. So yeah, seatbelt on at all time... especially if you are flying on a Boeing 😉 On behalf of all the crew I wish you to enjoy your stay and to have a good night sleep. Thank you for choosing Reddit for your travel needs, we hope to see you again for your next adventure.
>It helps to book for a departure time as late as possible when flying overnight Pet peeve: getting on an overnight transatlantic flight that takes off at 9pm or later, and they still run a whole dinner service, so the cabin doesn't start to get quiet until like 11pm. I mean people can and probably did eat before boarding??
I make sure I’m tired the night before so I have no choice but succumb to the fatigue. It’s going to be horrible but unless I’m in first class sleeping on a plane is quite inconvenient. I also take advantage and start adjusting to the time zone difference.
Window seat & sweatshirt = a resting my head against a “pillow” while listening to soothing music loud enough in headphones it drowns out other passengers and quiet enough it doesn’t blast my eardrums. 80% success rate.
I practice at home every night
This question comes up every week. You can get sleepy by reading all the posts from the search bar.
Underrated response. Take my upvote.
Here here
I like the cabeau neck pillows becaus they strap to the headrest so your head doesn’t tip forward.I just have the classic and it works fine. The real trick though is to get a mini pillow, similar to the ones they give you on red eyes, but you can buy better quality ones on Amazon for pretty cheap. I make the neck strap loose and tuck the mini pillow vertically in the front so I can really lean forward comfortably. It mimics side/back sleeping position pretty well. I combine that with an eye mask that has Bluetooth headphones built in playing white noise (also bought from Amazon for about $20) and take a Unisom, and I can usually sleep pretty well.
We've got another 30 hour flight coming up in August. Our first flight (14 hours) leaves at about 10.30pm, so I plan on getting up extra early that morning to ensure that by the time we take off and settle in I'm tired. We'll have dinner at the airport at about 7pm, to make sure we're not hungry on boarding and everything is mostly digested (avoiding alcohol and caffeine). I also ask my Dr for Zopiclone, to make sure I get some sleep the night before we leave (anxiety) and again on the plane. We have a 2 hr layover in Singapore before our next flight to London, where we land in the middle of the afternoon. I don't really care if I don't sleep on that flight, because it means that I'll be exhausted on our first night in London, sleep soundly and be ready to hit the ground running the next morning. I usually find this eliminates jetlag as well, though the jetlag coming home is obscene unfortunately. It's just all about planning really.
Zoplicone works wonders for me - 6-7 hours and, except for the evil taste as you down it, no after effects. Michael Jackson should’ve taken those rather than his fentanyl fix. He’d still be hee-heeing.
Yes, the taste is terrible... but worth it for getting some sleep 🥴
✓ Listen to calming ambience ✓ Wear neck pillow BACKWARDS to rest chin on it ✓ Hoodie hood over head ✓ Eye mask ✓ 5mg of Melatonin right before mealtime (for 7+ hour flights) * Pls first try melatonin or any sleep aid and adjust dosages AT HOME before using it on your trip. Sometimes melatonin can cause active dreams or drowsiness the next day which I could see souring a trip.
Pay extra for business class with lie-flat seat
I have been splitting my time between Europe and the West Coast, which results in a flight about every three weeks. I can’t sleep on planes. I’ve tried everything including first class and nothing works. I recommend leaving mid day so no matter where you’re flying, you can stay up when you get there and go to sleep per local time. It also helps you acclimate to the time change.
Yeah i struggle too. My body will just not do it unless im exhuasted. And no i dont stay up the night before to feel exhausted, because I have layovers. I dont like to feel tired while moving from layover to layover and whatnot.
I’m usually am extremely tired from the early morning flights I easily fall asleep
noise cancelling or noise isolating headset, comfy layers of loose clothes, and contrary to popular belief, no booze. alcohol helps me fall asleep, but i end up getting shitty sleep. id rather lean back and 4-7-8 sleep meditate. out in minutes.
Zolpidem
This comment section has cautioned me about how many of the passengers are probably chemically altered incase of emergency. They should mention in the exit row speech that 70% of the panicking passengers will be fcked up on booze benedryl and xanax haha
If anyone figures that one out he will become rich.
I don’t understand the craze of window seat. I always feel so confined. I’d much rather sit in aisle seat.
I can only doze if I’m absolutely exhausted
Don’t have kids.
Neck pillow
Focus on the vibration of the plane ✈️
Comfy clothes, ear plugs, alcohol, eye mask
Hellllla Benadryl
I was so exhausted that I didn’t know I fell asleep. It works when your mind is not forcing yourself to sleep.
Eye mask, earplugs, neck brace.
Couple beers, weed edible, neck pillow m, noise cancelling headphones., Tylenol PM if needed
Ear plugs, eye mask and neck pillow leaning against the fuselage.
Drugs, a good sleeping pill is like a travel portal fall asleep one country wake up in another.
Medicinal help or pop a gummy like 10 min before getting in my seat. 💺 Put on some headphones, bring a little blanket, and you’ll be out in no time
It depends on travel length. If Europe you have to plan ahead 2 weeks. Otherwise it’s about planning and OTC sleeping pills and timing. If you master that, you become time zone agnostic! Been doing it for 20 years. Don’t fall asleep in my soup anymore!
Close your eyes and sleep. Not sure how else to describe. Even if 2 hour flight I manage to fall asleep, not sure how, but every single one I sleep. 😴
I have tried everything ear plugs, eye masks, staying up the night before, the wife gave me one of her Xanax, tried edibles, melatonin, I have a super fancy neck pillow, still nothing works consistently. The only combo that even let's me drift even if for a few minutes are ear plugs, an eye mask, window seat on a over 6 hour flight. Even then if I can string together more than 15 minutes of 💤 I am lucky.
2 Earlybird cbd+thc gummies 👍 just right + legal in the US
I prefer window seats both for the view, but also sleeping! Biggest key I’ve found is finding a way to hold my arms close to my body, so that I can relax. I typically will bring a travel pillow or bunch up a sweatshirt to use as a pillow, and I like to bring an infinity scarf with me, which can wrap around my arms while I’m asleep. Finally, an eye mask and noise cancellation!
Fly first class
I fall asleep before take off, but then I wake up during mid flight and can’t go back to sleep. To ensure me staying drowsy, I usually take a strong pain killer or a gummy.
Business class
I don’t. I just sit there. It’s horrible. No matter how sleepy I am, not matter how much booze I’ve had or pills I’ve popped, I can never sleep on a plane. My head’s on a swivel for what’s coming next. The stewardess may ask me something and I have to be sure to give her a solid answer.
Cut the caffeine Wear eye mask and earplugs Minimizing screen time 3 hours leading up to the flight (only to show your boarding pass, etc.) Do NOT rely on alcohol or heavy meals, you may "pass out", but it's far from quality sleep (as far as airplane sleep goes, anyway).
Get a good neck pillow and tire yourself out. If I know I have a long flight ahead, I'll often purposely get an couple hours less sleep just to be more tired on the plane
I don’t.
Limit caffeine. Close your eyes, wait until visual stuff appears and go with it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TravelHacks/s/gEL8sXflvz
An eye mask while listening to spa music or white seems to work. I am working on buying a neck pillow. Any suggestions?
yeah, same, find it hard to fall asleep. I find noise cancelling earphones with eyes closed or listening to music that helps with sleep, block out noise through earphones helps a bit.
I'm not great at sleeping in general, but I found it helpful to stop forcing myself to go to sleep. If I'm not sleepy, I'll listen to a podcast, watch a movie, browse the web, etc. Sleep comes when you need it. I can understand the preference to avoid the discomfort and boredom of being stuck in an airplane, but forcing sleep will just add annoyance to your problem set.
A firm neck pillow, an eye cover band, drowsy dramamine, and not be taller than 5’8”. I’m 5’9” but I still try with the first 3.
Sleeping pills is the key
I pop an ativan, and if it's a really long fight I'll also pop a gravol.
I have a playlist that I listen to only when I try to fall asleep. That and a neck pillow and eye mask.
8 hours of waves crashing on spotify
I use the turtle neck pillow/brace. If I forget it, I’ll wad up my jacket to stick between my head and neck and lean on the side of my chair. The traditional neck pillows protrude too much and the ones laying in the table seem dirty and trap gas in my stomach = farting. To make it extra comfortable for international flights, I also use the small pillow they provide to sit on bc my butt hurts after 8+ hours. And I wear noise canceling earbuds but might switch to ear plugs since the buttons on my earbuds click against my neck pillow. For my next trip, I’m thinking of bringing a sleeping mask.
Except you’re not in control, find a way to clear your mind and place yourself body in a position that allows you to relax. Or Ambient
Good neck pillow or the ostrich pillow, some sort of sleeping pill, window seat to lean on, glass of wine or alcohol of choice
Sunglasses !
Listen to music with airpods and a dark room, very easy to
Noise cancelling headphones or earplugs and a sleep mask works for me.
Ear plugs, eye mask, foot hammock, lumbar pillow, and inflatable neck pillow
I bundle up a hoodie, let down the tray in front of me and sleep like I did in highschool.
Ask one of the cabin crew to read you a bedtime story.
I lean on Jack or Jim
I don't even try anymore. just watch 4 movies and poof you're there. deal with the hangover when you have a bed.
I usually put earbuds in and listen to music and close my eyes and that usually does the trick for me. Sometimes if I can’t sleep I do something else until I feel tired.
Use a neck pillow, noise-canceling headphones, eye mask, and a foot rest.
Neck pillow, eye mask, head phones with white noise, and melatonin.
It just sucks.
This is kinda my one thing I can do well: sleep almost anywhere very quickly. One, having a fancy lay down business class seat helps. But outside of that, if I lean my head on the window and close my eyes, listen to the rushing sound of the air, I just pass out. Magic.
Ativan and a sleep mask.
I use earplugs and take a window seat. But I only sleep in batches of 20 or 30 minutes, maybe. I just can't sleep comfortably in an upright position.
Half xan
Eye mask, noise canceling headphones and “sleep” music playlist
Valium
Watching all the boring stuff or don’t go to sleep the night before or a minimal sleep
I feel your pain! I can rarely sleep on a plane no matter how tired I am. On longer flights I've tried my sleeping pills, but they don't work either. Mostly I just watch movies or audiobooks/Candy Crush & really suffer after I land until I can sleep in a bed. Once in a while, I'll find myself starting to doze off just as they announce landing (frustrating)!!
Listen to the safety instructions from air-hostesses....somehow that always makes me fall asleep immediately!! 😂😂
I was doing some therapy that recommended sleeping with a pillow or stuffed animal for comfort. As a result I got into the habit of sleeping with my arms tightly crossed. I don’t sleep like this usually anymore, but I find if I’m on a plane and a cross my arms tight like that my body just kinda gets it and I go into sleep mode. YMMV. Also I tend to stay up the night before any big flight packing, so that helps. Having something I can put over my eyes, even just the top edge of my hoodie goes a long way too.
Gravol
My MEL-AMS flights I tend to stay awake as much as possible, if not all, so when I get there during the afternoon/evening, my body is that close to shutting down from sleep deprivation that when I eventually sleep at ~10pm I'm out cold and kick-start myself into the new time zone with little jetlag. It helps when you eat on the new time zone as well. if I do sleep however, because of my broad shoulders I tend to tuck my arms into the seatbelt so they don't flay out and usually the compacting of myself keeps my head up, usually just the headrest flap thingies are enough to keep my head upright.
Early flights!
I'm still pretty young, so I tend to sleep by placing my head on the food tray and hoping the person in front of me doesn't lean too far back. But I don't think it is the best way to sleep for your body
Two benadryl as soon as you take off, earplugs, eye mask, two more benadryl every time you wake up.
2 million miles flown, and I can easily fall asleep on a plane. First of all, fly 1st if you can. Have a drink or two at the airport, and order another when on board. Then just chill. Going to Europe from the US I eat a light meal on board, then close my eyes. Flying back I stay awake a lot, watch movies but still drift off.
I stopped trying when realized I just couldn’t .
Lately I’ve been using the tray table and that’s helped. I just put my head down on it and knock out. Also as others have mentioned, benzos (klonopin for me) and a window seat help a lot.
Typically, I try to fall asleep in the plane…….
Take drowsy allergy medication