This is a collaborative post.
No matter how much I love travelling, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of sleeping in your own bed again after being away from home for a long time.
You see, the thing is, I rarely ever sleep well while travelling. Whether I’m staying in a budget hostel or a swanky five-star hotel, I often struggle to sleep in unfamiliar places. It’s even harder if I’m travelling for work, as I’ll often have a tight schedule to follow and I’m ever conscious of the need to wake up to my alarm, so I tend to wake throughout the night.
However, there are a few tips I can offer to help you to get a good sleep while travelling. From getting a decent workout during the day to ensuring that you’re as comfy as possible when you go to bed, there are things you can do while travelling to increase your chances of a good night’s sleep. Read on for a few ideas.
4 ways to get a good night’s sleep while travelling
Stay active during the day
Have you ever noticed how the quality of your sleep improves after a gym workout? It’s a well-known fact that leading a more active lifestyle can help you to get a better night’s sleep.
Now, I’m not suggesting you bring you go for a full-on gym workout while travelling (unless you particularly want to), but there’s a lot to be said for staying active while away from home.
This could be something as simple as strolling through the local town or city centre on foot rather than using public transport, or swimming a few lengths in the hotel pool rather than just lounging around next to it all day.
However, if you’re a particularly active person, travelling presents the ideal opportunity to embrace active interests, or perhaps even discover a new outdoors activity.
I’ve never been one for hiking long distances, but I bought my first pair of walking shoes to go to Borneo on a wildlife trip last year and I loved the thrill of trekking through Mount Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, albeit only for a short while.
Consider investing in a decent pair of walking shoes (and don’t forget walking socks – they’re much thicker and prevent rubbing and friction) for your next trip. Walking or hiking is a relatively relaxed way of keeping fit while on the road and you’ll notice a significant improvement in your sleeping routine afterwards too.
Wind down before bed
Travelling away from home can be an exciting experience, especially if you’re on holiday or vacation rather than on business trip.
That said, you still need to ensure you’re winding down before bed, just like you would do at home. Our brains and our bodies need time to switch off and unwind in order for us to fall into a peaceful slumber.
Winding down might mean taking a good book away with you to read in bed, drinking some hot milk and honey or a cup of hot chocolate before bed to make you feel sleepy ,or avoiding screens for an hour before bed. Find out what works for you and be sure to find some time for it, even when you’re away from home.
Beat jet lag
If you’ll be travelling to a different time zone, jet lag is probably one of the biggest obstacles you’ll face in getting a good night’s sleep.
The good news is, though, it’s entirely possible to beat jet lag. Experienced travellers usually recommend adjusting your body clock to meet the local time zone.
If your flight will arrive in your destination during the day, you should try to sleep on the plane, so you’ll be awake and feeling fresh when you land. If your flight arrives in the night, however, it’d make more sense to stay awake on the flight, so you’ll be tired and ready to sleep once you get to your hotel. Be sure to bring along a cosy pair of women’s pajamas when travelling, to stay comfy and increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.
After you land, decide upon what time you’ll go to bed based on the local time. This might mean having to go to bed when you don’t feel tired or staying up until you’re almost falling asleep, but this is generally recommended as the best way to overcome jet lag.
Get comfy at night
If you find it hard to get to sleep, or to stay asleep, while travelling, it pays to explore whether you’re actually as comfortable as you could possibly be when you go to bed.
We all feel a little unsettled in unfamiliar environments at first, but if you’re sleeping in an uncomfortable bed or in a cluttered environment, this could be making it harder for you to enjoy a quality sleep.
Your accommodation provider should be able to assist with any issues with your room, such as in the case of an old mattress with worn springs or a lack of pillows or bedding in your hotel room, for example. However, there are also a few things you can do to increase your comfort:
- Bring your favourite pillow from home (very handy for the flight too!)
- Take a comfy pair of pyjamas and a pair of bed socks (I never leave home without my women’s bed socks).
- Declutter your room – ensure the floor is free of your belongings, put your suitcase in the wardrobe and dispose of any rubbish
- Don’t eat late at night – your digestive system won’t be able to switch off
- Avoid consuming large amounts of alcohol
- Wear an eye mask
- Use air conditioning to ensure your room is cool and comfortable
This is a collaborative post.