What do you take on long flights? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

aSiAnRiCk · 01-05-2006, 02:41 AM

I hope I posted this in the correct forum and gawd I hope this is not a silly question

... but is there anything that I can take to knock me out on the 13+ hours flight to Asia?

A friend of mine told me to take sleeping pills while another told me to drink some booze lol
I'm sure the booze will get me a headache afterwards but since I have never take any sleeping pills, how safe are they?

I can't sit still and as much as I love to travel, I hate to be "confined" in a small space for a long period of time.
I tried reading magazine, listening to my CD's or watch the IFE but I still feel uneasy

I'm going to see if my doctor can prescribe something for me but in the mean time, please post up any suggestions

Thanks guys!

**expatben** · 01-05-2006, 03:43 AM

Certain people I know swear by Vallium. 13 hrs? I dunno.

**Joker** · 01-05-2006, 05:40 AM

3 xanax and a few Budweisers go a long way :D

No, really, I travel with my ipod and a book or two. Makes the trip go by a bit easier.

And avoid popping pills on planes. The air crew doesn't take kindly to folks freaking out anymore from overdoing the stuff...

**omisan** · 01-05-2006, 09:50 AM

Pills screw up your body clock more than they help, and alcohol dehydrates you in a much more severe way at altitude, so the best advice is to stay away from those and start altering your sleep schedule a day or two before getting on the plane... Drink plenty of fluid and move around whenever you can to get circulation going, and you'll actually feel alright after a long-haul flight.

Now that the sound medical advice is out of the way:

A few glasses of wine and one Ambien (Stilnox if you're from the southern hemisphere). You'll need a scrip for the Ambien but it's the best freakin' sleeping pill ever. Just ask the FA when breakfast will be served and wash the pill down with a glass of wine approximately 8 hours beforehand. You will be knocked the fuck out for 8 hours, waking up pretty refreshed. Just remember to chug water before and after. Oh, and you might want to take a window seat, although you probably won't notice peopole climbing over you to go to the toilet...

**SuDz** · 01-05-2006, 10:37 AM

Basically what everyone is saying is right. I mean the pills will knock you out usually, but here is the thing, if it doesn't knock you out you just feel crappy and sluggish. Different pills have different affects on you. I know a lot of them make me feel tired but not pass out tired a lot.

You might want to try one on a regular day sometime before your flight and seee how you feel on it.

SuDZ

aurorachrisma · 01-05-2006, 11:06 AM

If you're going to take any kind of sleeping pill take ambien. You have to get a perscription for it but docs are usually okay with giving a script for 2 if they know you're going to be on a long flight.

NEVER mix sleeping pills or depressants with alcohol. It's rare that anything bad happens, but it CAN kill you. It can also just screw up your liver, kidneys, heart, etc pretty good. This is more likely to happen on a plane as the altitude changes effect our tolerance for such things.

Besides, flights dehydrate you all on thier own. No sense in helping that along.

Ambien is a guarenteed knock out for at least 9 hours. (I usually sleep for 12 if/when I have to take it) and you don't feel groggy upon waking.

**The Monsignor** · 01-05-2006, 11:49 AM

depends on the Ambien (I understand they have a sustained release variety that lasts longer) but I highly recommend it.. it works for me for 6 hours, and I don't feel sluggish or disoriented afterwards.

I didn't have any trouble falling asleep on it either...

I don't recommend much alcohol on a flight, and I suggest you bring some bottled water, cause they never get around enough to keep you from getting dehydrated on the plane!

**SuDz** · 01-05-2006, 01:26 PM

I have had mixed results with Ambien myself but usually I agree, it is pretty good and doesn't give the sluggishness later on. It is more from the OTC variety you get that which is what I was figuring he might have to wind up with if the Dr. doesn't sign him up for the prescription.

SuDZ

**LiveFreeorDie** · 01-05-2006, 03:45 PM

My long plane ride kit includes the following:

-I-pod with extra AA battery pack
-Targus noise reducing headphones (about $40 bucks and about 85% as good as Bose)
-2 novels
-Inflatable neck pillow (I think it makes a huge difference in sleeping)
-couple of Cliff bars because they only feed you enough food for an 80 pound 12 year old kid
-two 16oz bottles of water
-Advil in case you decide to drink the free booze (gin and tonics...mmmmmm)

Things to consider (that I don't have):

-Portable DVD player if the airline you are flying has crappy movies (check their website)
-Portable video game player (like Nintendo or PSP)
-some kind of puzzle book crosswords, etc. (works for some people)

For me the biggest thing that saves me is reading. I read alot anyway, and so its no problem for me to read for the majority of the time away on a flight to Asia (which I do fairly frequently with work). Good luck - just mentally prepare yourself and you will be fine.

chelseafc05 · 01-05-2006, 04:58 PM

am i the only one that is that can sit and watch the tv screen on the back of the seat that shows you where the plane is on the map thing, how fast its going, how high it is,wat the weathers like, and wat time it is in the destination...for a whole trip?

**omisan** · 01-05-2006, 05:11 PM

Dude, I am so addicted to the flight status thing. I HATE it when I'm on a flight that doesn't offer that.

**Somnambulation** · 01-05-2006, 05:51 PM

Ive never taken sleeping pills and cant really sleep that well in planes, but I take muscle relaxants during my flights which make them much more enjoyable. Im kinda claustrophobic and the pills take that feeling away. But really, with the constant movies and shows being payed in the backs of modern airplanme seats, long flights seem to fly by.

**lilwings** · 01-05-2006, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by omisan@Jan 5 2006, 11:50 AM
A few glasses of wine and one Ambien (Stilnox if you're from the southern hemisphere). You'll need a scrip for the Ambien but it's the best freakin' sleeping pill ever.
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Ambien is awesome! Make sure you have a prescription (don't just bum from a friend) from your doc since it's an opiate, and you can piss hot for heroin or opium during a routine drug test. I do the noise cancelling headphones, a good book, and a bottle or two of water.

chelseafc05 · 01-05-2006, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by omisan@Jan 6 2006, 11:11 AM
Dude, I am so addicted to the flight status thing. I HATE it when I'm on a flight that doesn't offer that.

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i sometimes wonder if theres even a point to travelling if a airline cant offer it.

.......

@dam · 01-06-2006, 10:34 AM

Here is a little secret: over-the-counter sleeping pills are just Benedryl- they're just taking advantage of Benedryl's main side effect and repackaging it as though that were it's primary purpose. Be warned, however, that Benedryl's other effect is to dry you out, and the air on jets will do the same thing. If you take a Benedryl/Sleeping pill, be sure to drink plenty of water first!

I've never been very good about sleeping on flights. When I went to Europe some time ago (from the West Coast of the U.S.- Portland) I didn't sleep a wink there or back, even though I was pretty tired. Par for the course for me.

I'm going to Thailand next week, and the first few days of my trip are going to SUCK if I don't sleep on the 18 hour trip, so here is my plan.
1) Benedryl in my carry on
2) I paid about 20% extra for a slightly better seat on EVA Air. It has 6" more leg room and reclines 2x as far (~24 degrees) as a coach seat. I was borderline about paying for this, but I'm 6' 1" and can use the space and, again, if I don't sleep I'm going to be very irriatible and grumpy my first few days.
3) I just bought earplugs, an inflatable travel pillow, and a blindfold. They all fold up into a package about the size of a wallet and totalled about $10. I'm taking a slik sleep-sack ($21 shipped on ebay) and maybe even my fleece sleeping bag ($10.75) as carry-on
4) My flight doesn't leave until midnight, so hopefully I'll be ready for bed by the time I get on the plane anyway. This has the added benefit of dropping me off in Bangkok in the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night. The sun exposure is good for shifting your circadian rhythms.
5) I wrote a letter to my Dr. asking for Ambien, since I have the round-trip flight and three nights on sleeper trains. I hope I get it, but I'm not counting on it.
6) I'm taking a small mountwash-bottle full of vodka, as a disposable flask. If I can't sleep, maybe this will help, or at least make the movies more enjoyable. Does anybody know if I'm allowed to bring booze on the plane? I was thinking of dying the vodka blue or green just in case.

**omisan** · 01-06-2006, 10:49 AM

Benadryl's a great sleep aid. I pop one or two on nights that I just can't get to sleep, which fortunately hasn't been often lately. I also use it for shorter flights where I don't want the 8-hour coma that Ambien gives ya... Although for my last flight, I simply kept nodding off for a few minutes at a time, the last time being on my neighbor's shoulder. Oops.

You're not supposed to consume your own alcohol on flights, but they'll never stop you from taking it aboard... Think about all that hooch they sell in Duty Free! Still, I've broken out a flask or even a full-on bottle many times and no one has seemed to mind. Plus, on most international flights, booze is free. Once again, an anecdote from my last flight: At the security gate, they inspected my flask and asked me to take a swig out of it - at 5:30 in the morning. "A little early in the day, isn't it?" I had Bundaberg O.P. in there (114pf rum) and had wonderful firebreath getting on to the plane.

**blinkchick2134** · 01-07-2006, 01:14 PM

I bring a small legal pad (those yellow ones), a guidebook (or Travelpunk print out) of where I'm going, and a cd player.

I have a habit of making lists, budgeting and preplanning (even thought I don't stick to any of them). It takes up time though.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 01-08-2006, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Dude, I am so addicted to the flight status thing. I HATE it when I'm on a flight that doesn't offer that.

Yeah - that thing is cool. Is it me, though, or do they seem to highlight some fairly random small cities on that thing?

My new favorite feature that only a couple of airlines seem to offer so far(Emirates being one) is the camera in the nose of the plane that allows you to see a cockpit view of the runway when you come in for a landing. That thing rocks too.

chelseafc05 · 01-08-2006, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LiveFreeorDie@Jan 9 2006, 03:43 AM
Yeah - that thing is cool.* Is it me, though, or do they seem to highlight some fairly random small cities on that thing?* *

My new favorite feature that only a couple of airlines seem to offer so far(Emirates being one) is the camera in the nose of the plane that allows you to see a cockpit view of the runway when you come in for a landing.* That thing rocks too.

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yeah they and that on a vietnam ailines flight, they also had in on when we were goin over cities at night so ya so you could see all the lights n shit..it was cool

aSiAnRiCk · 01-12-2006, 01:21 AM

Sup guys

Thank you for all these great suggestions!
Sorry for the late reply ... been busy getting things together for this trip

I went to the doctor yesterday and I asked her to prescribe me Ambien (seems like the most popular one listed) and she said NO ... but I'll give you Xanax instead.

I asked her "are you sure??"

and she said I won't give it to you if I wasn't LOL

She said the xanax should help me relax, beside helping me sleep. And she actually said it's better for what I need it for (long flight and me feeling uneasy)

Anyway ... I also have a small laptop (Dell 700M) and some DVD player to keep me occupied.

I went to NWA website to see the IFE they're playing for my routes and I've seen all of them already

So ... any of you taken Xanax before on a long flight? Anything I should know about? like drinking a lot of water, etc?

Thanks again!

-Rick