FougaMagister, apologies for the slight thread creep but I don't really agree with a lot you've written about melatonin.
Plus have you guys seriously looked at the long list of side effects? It's enough to make you think twice... btw it includes detrimental effects on your testicles!
Come on please! Melatonin is a
natural hormone, made by some gland in your body. Melatonin levels begin to rise during late afternoon, and then start to drop again in the early morning hours. If melatonin was bad for your testicles then mother nature would have designed it a different way. Of course I'm not talking about chronic abuse and/or addiction here.
Can't get it over the counter, and docs will usually not prescribe it except in very specific circumstances. Just as well.
Well, nothing is allowed in France in particular and Europe in general, unless it is specifically mentioned. Try flying VFR through France... I guess all these regulations keep the bloated bureaucracy and the powerful pharmacy industry busy with prescribing expensive drugs, instead of allowing the citizens to buy a harmless sleeping aid which also happens to be produced by your own body.
However, as I mentioned before, melatonin is pretty much useless in our profession for getting some decent rest before a flight, but I generally have very good experiences using melatonin on the first evening after arriving home from a trip to help me get back into my normal time zone. Oh yeah, my testicles are still there and the do work!
As for the staying awake tips I completely agree with FougaMagister's recommendations, although I find (power) napping before a flight quite difficult (read: impossible) during the day, so I'm usually a total wreck after a long night flight.