SAT Lawyer

Ambien, which is known as Stilnox in Europe, works wonders. It will put you to sleep and keep you asleep for about seven hours. I swear by it on all my long-haul overnight travel. I haven't tried Ambien CR (Controlled Release), but supposedly it is even more effective at maintaining a state of sleep. And you can get a free seven-day trial of Ambien CR.

Traveloguy

I have a mixed experience of this drug. Helps you stay asleep but not great at getting you to sleep. My best experience is at home, but in the air I have not found it to be that great whereas some of those benzos are pretty good at kicking the whole process off in the first place. That said, I would never mix nor have I ever tried.

May the sheep be with you!

ComputerCommuter

Single malt. Not less that 12yrs old. Glenmorangie, Dalwhinnie, Scapa, my personal favourites

came back on a flight from HK some time ago, crew who recommended triple congac. Apparently they wanted to sleep but I was awake. Must be a good recommendation!

chipster

Are we ignoring some fairly basic stuff?

Lay off the caffeine and the alcohol, keep the bedroom dark and warmish, and best of all...earplugs (the wax ones not the sponge ones) an a nice malty milky drink.

Although a mallet (as has been said) can be a good last resort

G-BOAC

My bad - I had assumed the OP would be staying in a hotel not a retirement home

Trav+

Zopiclone (generic; the trade name in Canada is Imovane) is a reasonably good drug for sleep, but a great number of people complain that it gives a very nasty taste in the mouth, which lasts for 18+ hours after taking it. The Pharmacist with whom I work says that after extended use the nasty taste goes away, but for a one-time dose - .

I've had very good luck with dimenhydrinate (in Canada it's Gravol) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl), with or without a herbal sleeping tab. Superdrug's Quiet Night tablets work well, but you may need to take three or four rather than two. The very nice thing about valerian is that there's no hangover effect the next day - which is nice. Washed down with a glass of red - nicer.

GoldFlyer

I had Gravol in Canada as part of an operation to stop me feeling nauseas from morphine. Now there's another option.

LeisureFirst

I use Zopiclone, and various friends of mine swear by it too. It is in the same family as stilnox, recommended by another poster. Stilnox doesn't have the nasty taste at all, but I find zopieclone somewhat more effective.

Zopiclone does leave a bitter taste in the mouth. I would say that it probably does take about 18 hours to go away completely if taking a full dose (i.e. 10 hours after waking up, typically) but it's something one can live with. It is most noticeable when eating and drinking very mildly flavoured things (e.g. water!), but has usually faded noticeably by lunchtime.

The nastiest thing is if you take half a pill (an approved thing to do if you only want 3-4 hours sleep). Then you get an uncoated surface in your mouth and an immediate unpleasant taste. If you then kiss someone you will discover that they go running off in an emergency quest for mouthwash or a strongly flavoured drink.

Well, you're not supposed to use it too much, if only because you build up a resistance. I can't say that I find extended occasional use makes any difference to the taste.

ESPECIALROB

A few posts mention using Gravol, which is only available in Canada. Last trip to Canada, I purchased a package of 24 - 100 mg caplets "Fast Acting Longer Lasting" 12 hour relief. They are great for inducing and maintaining sleep. I take 2 and sleep well, and am not at all groggy when I wake up. I recommend this partciular dosage. Again, Gravol is not sold as a sleeping aid, but as a preventative for nausea, vomitting, and dizziness.

I've brought Gravol's packaging with me to pharmacies in both the USA and UK, and asked for its local equivalent. In both places I was given products containing dimenhydrinate (which is Gravol's ingredient), but for whatever reason, no comparable product from either country does the trick as good as the Gravol brand from Canada.

LeisureFirst

The two times in my life I have had morphine, I thought it would be rather nice were it not for the fact I was otherwise in complete agony.

GoldFlyer

Absolutely, there's a fine line between pleasure and pain. I presume this is why so many here are keenly interested in Pucci's hairbrush!

VC10 Boy

Benzodiazepines are wonderful for situations like this. The only problem is you won't be able to get them over the counter as they are habit forming. Your local dealer should be able to sort you out though. As a one off I suggest a single 7.5mg tab of temazepam would be just what you need. Pick up a f*w along with a w**k*nds supply of * p*rhaps.

chipster

LOL I think Horlicks is just waiting to be discovered by a new generation. Although personally, I am partial to a nice mug of cocoa mmmmmmmmm.

chipster

Failing that, I understand many elderly people are a very good source of benzos, and most seem willing to share their medication widely in a good cause..

themanwithno

I looked at this but decided against it because it is contradicted for use as a sleep aid while flying (from http://www.drugs.com/ambien.html)
"Avoid taking Ambien during travel, such as to sleep on an airplane. You may be awakened before the effects of the medication have worn off. Amnesia (forgetfulness) is more common if you do not get a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep after taking Ambien."

"What are the possible side effects of Ambien?
....
* unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions...;
* aggression,...;
* hallucinations, confusion ... .
"

none of which sound like a good plan on a plane these days -