Don’t fret the first night and nap if you need: how to sleep well, away from home | Sleep
AAs the work year comes to an end, many of us have only one hope for the season: a good night’s sleep. While not every family visit or post-Christmas getaway involves a trip to Rancho Relaxo, there are a few things that can help us enjoy the holidays. Pre-trip applications can be helpful, as can pillow mists and thermoregulation, but when it comes to maximizing rest on the road, some say less is more.
Don’t be afraid the first night
Our sleep problems while traveling often start before we leave the house. Between the frantic last-minute preparations, the end of work and early departures, “you are [likely] already a bit sleep deprived,” says Dr Sutapa Mukherjee, respiratory and sleep physician and professor at Flinders University in Adelaide.
Add to that the logistics of getting to your final destination and even a relatively short travel time can disrupt sleep hygiene.
As we bow our heads that first evening, Dr. Moira Junge, health psychologist and executive director of the Sleep Health Foundation, advises us not to panic if we toss and turn. “In sleep science, there is a well-known phenomenon called the ‘first-night effect.’ It’s very common: your senses adapt to different sounds and smells, mattress pressure, and darkness level…but you’ll adapt quickly.”
Take your rituals with you
Sleep scientists agree that developing a bedtime routine is good for year-round sleep, and maintaining it away from home can be especially helpful. Mukherjee says most parents recognize the importance of sleep rituals for their children: a bath, a hot drink, a little reading, but too often overlook how useful they are for adults too.
For Sharlene Loo, an 11-year veteran of Emirates’ famous cabin crew who has visited more than 100 countries, this routine includes a shower and skin care before lying down in an L shape with her feet in the air “for 10 to 20 minutes.” Loo says it helps with circulation and has become a daily habit and mental trigger for sleepiness, wherever she is. She also carries a small book of quotes for relaxing without a screen and uses a lavender pillow mist. “I don’t know if it’s a placebo, but it works for me,” she says.
Junge says if she’s driving, she’ll usually take her own doona and pillow because “it adds another layer of familiarity.”
While relaxing helps, Junge says waking up well is just as important. She uses the acronym RISE UP, coined in a 2018 study that examined ways to combat sleep inertia. This means resisting the snooze button, increasing your physical activity, taking a shower, getting out in the sun, listening to upbeat music, and calling (or talking to) a friend. All this, according to the study, helps us get rid of sluggishness if we have had a difficult night.
Keep it light
If you’re traveling across different time zones or in a different climate, Mukherjee says daylight is particularly important and “essential for resetting the body clock.” She suggests resisting the urge to crash at the finish and heading out into the daylight if the sun is still out, no matter how exhausted you are.
Horrifyingly, Mukherjee says it takes a full day to adjust to each hour of time difference, meaning it will take 11 days for your body clock to adjust to the time difference between Melbourne and London in December. Apps like Timeshifter can help by gradually moving your body clock closer to that of your destination.
Stay cool
The scientific consensus is that the optimal room temperature for sleeping is between 17°C and 19°C. Mukherjee says that when the brain understands it’s time to go to bed, an increase in melatonin naturally lowers our body temperature to help initiate and maintain sleep. But stuffy tents or drafty annexes can interrupt this process and, with it, our sleep.
Unfortunately, not every vacation includes temperature checks, so Mukherjee suggests bringing a few sleepwear options to balance things out. When it comes to your pre-sleep ablutions, she says it helps to adjust your temperature to the sleeping environment; if it’s going to be hot, take a lukewarm shower; if the room is freezing, get a warm one. “It’s about getting your temperature into the range where you can facilitate sleep.”
Block the world
Sleep tends to become more sensitive with age, says Junge. She now wears earplugs and an eye mask because “a few dollars spent online, or even just pocketing the free tickets on the plane, can make a real difference.”
Turn off your lullabies
Your screens should go to sleep at least an hour before you, but Mukherjee sees no problem using audio to fall asleep — as long as there’s a sleep timer. She suggests about an hour, because our natural sleep cycles mean that every 90 minutes or so we’re more likely to be awakened. If the music, podcast, or rain continues, there’s a good chance your sleep will suffer.
Take a nap if you need one
One of the best things we can do to get the best rest possible when we’re away from home is to reduce pressure, says Junge. “Don’t catastrophize! Don’t look at the clock too much and don’t worry.”
Junge sees many patients with insomnia in his practice and studies people who naturally have good sleep hygiene. She says the best sleepers are those who barely think about it. “The main thing is not to think too much about sleep.”
She reminds us that we don’t — or at least shouldn’t — count every calorie or worry about every glass of wine while on vacation. The same should be true for sleeping.
After all, says Junge, “vacations are for relaxing,” so leave the optimization obsession at home, savor that extra helping of pasta, that one more drink. And if you haven’t slept well, don’t go into a spiral of “just take a nap, have a few coffees and try to enjoy the day.”
