all of this plus some alcohol and never works on me so i give up and skip to the movies

On red eye flights I have dinner (greasy, with a glass of bear) at the airport, use the rest room before boarding, may take melatonin 5 mg (when flying transatlantic to Europe), make sure to be in business class (worth a lot of money to me), try to have some fruit and crackers early in the flight, skip all meals, smile to FA and kindly ask her/him not to wake me up for whatever reason, use ear plugs (for voice sounds) �nd PlaneQuiet headset (for engine and airco noise) (never heared of that combination before but works great for me), �nd eye mask.
Last time slept 6 out of 7 hours. Happy, happy. Woke up, FA offered hot croissant and coffee, landed 20 minutes later. Very happy.
Last coach flight (transatlantic): no sleep; horrible cake roll for breakfast; jet lag lasting 3 or 4 days.
Money buys sleep on board. I upgrade or buy business class on all eastward transatlantic flights. Expensive but worth it for me.

You're not alone...I've used the earplug/headset combo for years now also but use QC2 headphones.

I also do the same Dan. No chance for me to sleep unless it is relatively quiet.

I finally gave up. Haven't tried the Ambien yet, but most of the otc stuff. Eye thingy, neck thingy, business class, etc. So I watch movies all night, and fall asleep in the cab on the way to the hotel. Go figure. But I seem to recover quickly, a good night sleep where ever I am and I'm go to go.

I fly the red-eye SEA-IAD every other week, leaves at about 11:30pm here or there. I used to have a nice dinner at the airport (seafood) with some wine but I found that even if I used the bathroom before I got on, invariably, about 1 hr into the flight I had to go again. Since I take a window seat I dread having to wake my neighbors! So I dropped the alchohol and that was a good move.

I bring along two of those soft squishy pillows, one is a neck pillow, the other just straight. I am a side sleeper so I just loosen my belt and get about 45 degrees on my side toward the window and scrunch up the pillow into the window well. The other goes under my right arm. So I feel all soft and comfy. I have back problems so I do sometimes get bothered by my back 2/3 into the flight and have to switch sides but most of the time I am ok. If all is well, I am asleep by the time we get over the Cascades. I usually wake up a little once or twice during the flight, particularly during moderate turbulence.

I then get woken up by the initial descent announcement and try to squeeze in a little more sleep before I have to bring my seat back up. After safety check they turn out the lights again but I can never get back to sleep. Despite only 4 hours of sleep, I do ok the next day at work. The biggest problem is getting up at 8am the next morning. Even though I maintain east coast hours at home, Im still 1 hour off and it does cause me trouble on days 2 and 3.

Ive been doing this for 15 months now routinely and its working pretty well. I am a VERY light sleeper but can get to sleep ok. I dont have trouble napping on a plane due to the lower air pressure. However I cannot sleep well if not on my side.

Oh, it really helps if I have an open middle seat and can put the armest up and twist my body even more so my legs are into the middle seat leg area. It really annoys me when the middle seat shows open at check in and then gets filled at the last minute... grrr...

Tip: dont book the window if aisle and middle are still open as that makes it a good target for a couple travelling together. Book a window where the aisle is occupied. I made this mistake the last two flights.

well im in my early 20s and dont even drink socially so my liver is ok. that, and i drink the 2nd alcohol with the dinner. i'll be sure to ask my PCP next time.

Count me in too, but I use my Shure's instead of earplugs with my Bose for serious situations. Always carry both for some reason and have doubled them up at times.

How am I going to explain to my colleagues at work that I regularly visit an online forum where we talk to each other about headphone/earplug combos ;-)

Same formula. Try Bertrand Russell's [I]History of Western Philosophy[I] for some tedious reading material.

I'm one of those freaks that stays awake the entire flight and watch movies until I reach my destination. Then I force myself to stay awake until bedtime. By the time 9pm rolls around, I'm ready to sleep. I awake on the next morning fresh and ready to go, no jet lag.

No drugs (well, perhaps a couple inflight drinks) and I have been doing it this way for 20 years.

I would avoid Ambien.

See the thread below.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=642930

Folks have strong opinions for and against ambien. It has worked great for me. BUT, my Dr. just gave me a prescription for Sonata. He says it is similar to ambien but hits you harder and faster. It also leaves your body quicker so you are less likely to be groggy or have a "hang over."

If you read this thread and decide to try ambien, I suggest you also ask your Dr. about Sonata.