Jaunted

OTC MEDICATIONS
Like allergy medications, the main brands of over-the-counter sleeping pills use one of either two antihistamines: Diphenhydramine (Nytol, Sominex, Sleepinal), or Doxylamine (Unisom, Nighttime Sleep Aid). Histamines cause irritation and alertness, so by taking them out of the equation, antihistamines cause your brain to relax and sign off.*

While not specifically designed for helping you get to sleep, two of the most popular and mild OTC meds, also have diphenhydramine: Benadryl and Tylenol PM. After a brief, informal poll, we found that a lot of people find a combination of a Benadryl and a glass of wine to be the perfect soporific cocktail.

However, we have to warn you against using alcohol with Tylenol PM because it contains acetaminophen, which directly affects your liver and impairs your ability to process alcohol, and can even cause liver damage, so you should only take it on its own.

OTC meds have the advantage that you can find them at pretty much any drugstore, or even at the last-minute travel shops at the airport where we like to pick up some gum, a bottle of water, and, okay we admit it, trashy magazines. However, it’s important to remember that these are in fact medications, so you should use them carefully and in the right dosage if this is the route you decide to go.

What to Look Out For: Many are only meant to be taken short-term, so only use on your trips, otherwise the effects will become less and less pronounced. They also have a slew of possible side effects including persistent drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, blurred vision, and a dry mouth and throat (we sound like one of those Viagra commercials!).

Plus, the antihistamines can dry you out to counteract congestion, and air on planes is even more desiccated than the cave in which they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. Still, for a quick fix, this might be the best option.

MELATONIN
If the OTC medications are too drastic for you, or you don’t have time to test whether you’ll have a drowsiness hangover, Melatonin might just be the secret sleep weapon for you.

Melatonin is a hormone that’s secreted from the tiny pineal gland lodged in our brains. It regulates our circadian rhythm (internal clock) and lets us know when it’s time to go to sleep, and when to wake up, kind of like a rooster in our brain. On the upside, it’s readily available, inexpensive, relatively mild, and a natural way of trying to catch up on sleep, and we know people that swear by it.

However, as we said, it’s mild, so some people (including us) aren’t affected by it at all. If you’re a good plane sleeper, though, and are looking for just that extra little bit of help, Melatonin might be exactly what you’re looking for to catch those mid-air zzzz’s. However, be aware that it only works in darkness, so if the cabin lights are on, it won't make any difference.

What to Look Out For: Melatonin can leave you with an extremely groggy feeling upon waking up. Keep a can of Red Bull or ask for a cup of coffee immediately.

THE HERBAL ROUTE
Lest we sound like little old ladies cagily sipping our evening tea, several common herbs have been shown to be useful as sleep aids. The two most popular are valerian and chamomile, both of which are available as supplements and as teas.

On the plus side, you won’t get any disapproving stares from your fellow travelers as you pop funny looking pills, or swig booze from your tray table. You can just say they’re vitamin supplements, or order the chamomile as tea from the flight attendant (though we like to have a bag or two on hand with us in our carry-on, just in case). The soothing chamomile has the added bonus of comforting any stomach upset you derive from the stress of traveling. The best part of all: the next day you won’t have any sort of hangover.

What to Look Out For: On the negative side, though these herbs have been used for thousands of years to fight insomnia and general system irritation, they are very, very mild compared to the other supplements we mentioned above, so if you’re looking for something heavy-duty to knock you out, these probably are not your cup of tea. So to speak.

PODCASTS
Finally, we realized this is the 21st century we’re living in, and it might be time to update our sleep arsenal to include the wonders of modern technology. That’s when we discovered that British Airways has teamed up with Dr. Chris Idzikowski (or Dr. Sleep as he’s known) to offer a series of six podcasts aimed at helping travelers arrive at their destination refreshed and ready to go.

The chapters include: Sleep Basics, Managing Travel Fatigue, Synchronising (British spelling!) Your Inner Clock, The Business Side of Sleep, Overcoming Jet Lag, and Treating Jet Lag. You can subscribe and download them on this page of British Airways’ site.

What to Look Out For: These podcasts shouldn't be harmful but they do require you to bring an MP3 player with you. You'll also have to fall asleep with headphones in your ears.

On the more functional level, however, we’d suggest downloading some soothing music, like something you’d hear at a spa, to relax on the plane, or even guided meditations that will help relax you and get you ready for REM.

Don’t know where to start? Open your iTunes and type “meditation” into the search field. You’ll even pull one up that combines the two titled, “Meditation” from the album, “Spa Music Collection.” Now if we could just get a mid-flight massage…

What are your tried and true tricks for getting some shut-eye on a long flight? Drop them in comments below!

*Disclaimer: We're obviously not medical experts so please be smart--before you take any of these medications--OTC, herbal or otherwise--please consult your physician if you have any questions. They know your body better than we do.

[Photo: Crazy Consultant]