If I don't use my miles to upgrade to a more horizontal seat, I choose a window seat so that I have more options as to where to lean my head. Ear plugs or noise-cancelling head phones help, as does an eye cover. I have a prescription sleeping pill, Ambien, which puts me to sleep fast. It has no hangover effect on me, and I find I can wake up and be alert when need be. That is my reaction to it, but not necessarily someone else's reaction.

For me, the longer the flight, the better chance I have of getting sleep. For instance, on a 10 to 12 hour flight, there is time to eat, watch a movie, then drift off to sleep. On a night flight from Newark to London or Paris, I find there is not enough time to unwind and sleep after the meal. On our last trip across the Atlantic, I didn't sleep a wink and we had a full day of sightseeing after checking into our hotel. Boy, did we sleep well that first night! And we had very little jet lag too.

Carrie, in Bardonia, NY, the new windy city.