Originally Posted by Middle_Seat

I have found that I sleep better on a red-eye if I can lay my head on something. The lightest and smallest "something" that I have found, by far, is an inflatable beachball. They come in two sizes at Wal-Mart (summer) and party supply stores (winter), and the larger size works better for me.

Mine cost about a dollar, weighs less than 3 ounces (approx 80 grams), and inflates (by mouth) in a minute of two. I place the airline-supplied pillow on top of it so my face isn't directly touching the plastic.

When she is not using it as a pillow, Mrs. Middle_Seat uses her beachball as a footrest.

A roll of scotch tape can be handy for securing the ball to your tray-table when you are not using it. On my last redeye I set mine on the floor in front of my seat, and later noticed it had rolled to the aisle where people were gingerly stepping over it.