How to Get Your Best Night's Sleep Away From Home
One of the most difficult ways to get to sleep is when you are traveling or staying in a place other than your own bed in your own home. Whether it is a friend’s house, a hotel room, a rental property or an Air B&B, the fact is that it can take some people hours to fall asleep. And those who already suffer from issues such as insomnia or sleep anxiety can almost be guaranteed a sleepless night. But there are things that you can do to significantly reduce the negative effects of sleeping in an unfamiliar place. These are just tips about sleeping well on the road, there are many other valuable suggestions about traveling available online.
Go to Bed an Hour Earlier than Usual
Although this may not be a viable option when on a family trip or vacation, most of the time when people travel they have the opportunity to call it a night whenever they choose. Opting to hit the lights an hour early will allow your body more time to unwind and relax, as well as allowing your brain to shut down slowly.
Take Your Own Pillow with You When Possible
When at all possible, especially any driving trip or friend’s house, just bring your own pillow to sleep on. You would be surprising not only how much more comfortable you will be, but having the familiar scent on it, provides an incredible psychologically relaxing and comforting sense. It also reduces the chance of you waking up with a stiffed or kinked neck to an uncomfortable angle or firmness.
Take Melatonin
This is one that savvy travelers know all about. Melatonin is a natural sleep aid produced by your brain to make you drowsy. When we are spending the night in unfamiliar surroundings our anxiety levels are raised, which also inhibits the production of the sedative. You couple that with the fact we are staying exposed to the bluelight screens on our devices while we are laying in bed (which also hinders melatonin production) and you can see why it’s red eye time.
Use a White Noise App on Your Phone
Something else that helps a lot of people is the comforting sounds of repetition in nature, white noise, fans and air conditioners, or anything else that makes a repetitious sound which can lull the listener into a more relaxed state. These are available in apps for your phone or device. They also come in travel size machines that can easily fit into a purse or a backpack. You can also purchase or download for free a number of multi-hour sounds such as ocean waves, light piano music, thunderstorms and rain, jungles and rainforests, and almost any other soothing sound you can think of.
Eat a Lighter Evening Meal
Nothing hinders sleep more than eating a heavy meal too late. Not only will you be tossing and turning due to exhaustion, you will also have the discomfort of a large meal residing in your stomach only partially digesting. It’s what is described as waking up with a “food hangover”. So when you know you will be bedding down in a strange place, eat a lighter meal such as salad, fish, or grilled chicken or seafood.
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