How to Sleep Well When Traveling

We all know how important sleep is to your energy levels, mood, and wellbeing. That’s why we also know how much of an impact a bad night (or two) of sleep can have. This can be especially annoying when you are travelling, where low energy levels or a bad mood (resulting from a bad night’s sleep) can end up spoiling a long-awaited trip.

Why maintaining a good sleep schedule is important

Sleep, until recently, has been pretty underrated as a vital bodily function. Nowadays, people are more aware of how important it is to maintain good sleep health. This is due to a growing scientific consensus on the powers of sleep, and the negative side effects of a lack of it – think popular media such as the book “Why we Sleep” by Matthew Walker.How much and when you sleep are two factors that are linked to getting a good night’s sleep. Generally, 6-8 hours (on average) at a similar time, every day, is the recommendation from those in the know. Those who fail to maintain a healthy sleep schedule can end up suffering from a variety of ailments, both short-term and long-term. When it comes to long-term effects, the focus is on the cardiovascular system and the brain and, for the short-term effects, this can include a bad mood and a lack of energy and focus.

How travel can damage your sleep schedule

Sticking to a regular, healthy sleep schedule can be a challenge, even when you are able to enjoy the comfort of your own home and bed. Travelling, whether short or long haul, is something that only makes this harder.

Studies have shown that our bodies can sometimes struggle to adjust to sleeping in different surroundings. Interestingly, it seems to stem from our ancestors – when in an unfamiliar setting, your body will remain alert even when at rest, in order to not run into any nasty surprises. Jet lag, weird arrival times, and a different climate can also all play their part when it comes to disrupting your regular sleep pattern.  

So, how exactly can you go about avoiding this trap? Let’s take a look.

Be picky when selecting your room

First up, let’s take a look at the bedroom. Both the bed and the room itself are equally as important when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. So, make sure to be picky when selecting your room/accommodation on holiday, after all, this is your health we are talking about!

This is important when it comes to things such as the noise levels in the room, any disturbing smells and the comfort/quality of the bed itself. All these things and more – essentially the general ambience – can end up getting in the way of your attempts to stick to a semi-regular sleep schedule.

Tips on what to look or do to turn your bedroom into an relaxing oasis from Porch.

More sleep tips, delivered on a plate

Now you’ve chosen the room, what other tips should you bear in mind when you are trying to maximise your kip time? We’ve got a few for you here:

• Try and stick to a regular bedtime hour. Your body has a regular cycle, so give it a helping hand. If you end up going to bed/waking up at different times, that is a surefire way to mess up your sleep schedule.  
• Minimise light & heat as much as possible in the room. Try to do what you can to keep your space dark and cool. It might be a tricky one to achieve in other, potentially hotter climates, but you can’t beat sub-20 degrees and total darkness when it comes to the ideal sleeping conditions.
• Don’t use alcohol as a way of overcoming jet lag or sleeping troubles. Nightcap in the hotel bar? A couple of sangrias on the beach? All fine when socialising, but less so as a way of trying to get yourself to sleep – your body won’t sleep naturally and you’ll be paying for it the rest of the holiday.

Staff is amazing. Good value for a night. New concept trying to mix hostel and hotel”

A traveler to London about their Pop & Rest stay. Book yours on popnrest.com

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