Memorize it. Then traveling transoceanic on those 8-hour (and sometimes 16-hour) flights, if you’re headed eastbound (e.g., from the USA to Europe), get to sleep as quickly as you can. Flights tend to depart around 6pm. Settle in, eat, then hit the sack. Remember, it really doesn’t matter if you sleep or not. The truth is, it’s kind of irrelevant whether or not you really sleep. The trick is to convince your body that you *did*. That’s why it’s always entertaining to me when people say, “I just can’t sleep on planes.” You don’t really *have* to; just *pretend* you are. (Besides, even if you’re just laying there, relaxing, it’s still restful. You’ve got the whole jet engine thing going on, the dark plane cabin, … just pretend. :-) ) Experts (like me :-) ) say that just laying completely still is at least *somewhat* helpful for your well-being anyway.
Keep in mind, your eyes have to be closed.
I completely agree. Had to get up at 4am to catch an early flight, worked to stay up 30 hours straighty until I got into my own bed and went to work the next day at 8:00!