Jaunted

1. Find the best seat.
Avoid getting stuck in the seat with the broken recline button. SeatGuru can help you locate, on almost any airline, the best place to plant your tush for an upright rest. It includes comments from past travelers on which seats have reduced legroom and misaligned windows. To find out which airlines have the most legroom, visit The Economy Traveler.

2. Spring for an upgrade.
This is the more reliable alternative to following recommendation number one. First-class passengers and those who fly on luxury international carriers like Eos Airlines can lay down completely. It's sort of like being home in bed, only 35,000 feet higher.

3. Take drugs.
Downing a bottle of Nyquil might make deplaning at 5 a.m. a bit of a struggle, but there are plenty of less grog-inducing alternatives to beckon the sandman. Many people swear by Ambien CR and Tylenol PM. Also, the FDA just deregulated the sale of tryptophan. So you can take the red eye with an imaginary belly full of turkey and pretend you're passed out on your grandpa's old La-Z-Boy.

4. Bring supplies
Bring a stash of public-sleep armor. Earplugs, a comfortable pillow if you can shove in your carry-on, and -- don't laugh -- a plain, cotton eye mask. You won't feel like a diva after you realize its handiness.

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[Photo:milesgehm]