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Effective Suggestions for Avoiding Travel Insomnia

Posted on April 21, 2008 - Filed Under Travel

Sleep restfully while on personal or business
trips by planning and preparing ahead. 
With a few of your nighttime ?comfies’ and a few room adjustments, you
can sleep peacefully while traveling. 
The following tips make sleeping out much easier.

We’ve
all been on trips for either business or pleasure and after a long day of
traveling to your destination, all you look forward to is a hot shower or bath,
a light meal and the comfort of a peaceful night’s rejuvenating sleep.

Now
you are finally ensconced in your hotel room and as night wears on and darkness
descends, you become aware of all the invading noises and cracks of light that
play havoc with your time to rest.  Too
boot, you are likely dealing with jet lag and the effects of crossing multiple
time zones.  We all know this throws off
our circadian rhythm.

Here
is how to make the best of a trip and get the best sleep possible.  It is generally wise to plan ahead.  In terms of dealing with the time zone
change and the effects on your circadian rhythm, it is always best to take two
to three nights ahead of flying and start going to bed in the time zone you are
headed to.  In other words, you are
attempting to reset your biological clock, so that when you arrive at your
destination you are already sleeping and waking in a new zone.  Few actually do this, but if you are a
light, sensitive sleeper, it’s always best to adapt ahead of time.  It will save you much grief on the other
end.

If
you find that challenging to do, start your pre-sleep routine just that much
earlier.  Begin your meditation and
relaxation pre-bed routine one half hour earlier the first night and then an
hour ahead the next night.  Remember to
adjust your morning rising time to accommodate the challenges of arrival,
particularly if traveling eastward.  The
reverse is true for traveling westward ? stay up later ? get up later.  It’s always easier traveling west than east.

If
space allow, pack your own pillow. 
Recognizing the comfort of your own things while in a hotel room helps
to encourage your on-going restfulness.

Of
course, having a quiet hotel room is essential.  Pack your own earplugs. 
Make sure you have worn them ahead of time so you are used to them.  Sound gets muffled but not totally
eliminated (which would be a hazard in the case of an alarm).  You need to be able to hear some
noises.  Earplugs help to mitigate all
the strange sounds a hotel room will no doubt have.

Along
with earplugs, you may want to consider toting your portable CD player or
IPOD.  Bring along some peaceful,
relaxing music or one or two of your meditation CD’s.  Having these comforting sounds with you not only reminds you of home,
but also when the headset is on it also helps to muffle strange hotel noises.

When
you arrive at your destination hotel, always request a quiet room ? away from
the freeway side of the hotel and away from the ding of the elevators and the
clunking sound of the ice machine.

If
possible, get a hotel that has operational windows.  Fresh air is always more conducive to restful sleep than air
conditioning.  When air conditioning
blows on you it creates an artificial environment and generally stuffs up your
sinuses.  Keep the room temperature 68
degrees or lower.  Too hot and you will
never slay asleep.  Our bodies naturally
prefer to be cool at night.

If
you like essential oils, bring a small sachet scented with lavender oil.  Lavender oil has been used for centuries to
calm the body and mind.  Place it on the
pillow or nightstand next to you to help create a calming relaxing from of
mind.

Always
check the hotel room clock radio and alarm setting to make sure it is in the
?off’ position.  Inevitably the cleaning
maid may have knocked the alarm to the ?on’ position or it may have remained in
that position by the last hotel guest in that room.  Don’t be awoken by the shrill blare of the buzzer alarm when you
are dead asleep and needing your rest.

Always
make sure you turn off the phone ringer. 
It’s conceivable that you may receive a 4:30 AM wake-up call for the
previous guest.  Better to be safe than
sorry.

To
block the inevitable light of the hallway, consider just simply stuffing a
towel at the bottom of the door.  And
make sure the drapes completely overlap from one side to the other so as to
prevent morning light from seeping in. 
Light and sound are the two enemies of sleeping soundly.

Also
make sure you hang out the ?Do Not Disturb’ door sign the night before.  This way the hotel maid will not knock early
in the morning wondering if you are still in your room.

 If
it’s late at night and you are starving and a meal is in order, make sure you
make it a light meal such as soup and salad, a small sandwich, or even an
appetizer rather than a huge full meal. 
Eating too much too late will end up being digested all night and likely
prevent falling asleep or perhaps a digesting meal will wake you up.  Consider having a cup of warm milk and if
possible, ask for a teaspoon of vanilla and sugar to be added.  All contribute to boosting your serotonin
level in your brain, which helps with the onset of sleep.  Avoid alcohol and cigarettes, as they are
both stimulants.

And
one last note.  If there seems to be too
much noise and rowdiness in a room next to you or even down the hallway, make
sure you call the front desk and let them know.  No one likes to wake up to the sound of a blaring TV or party revelers
invading your sleep.  I was once in a
hotel room in Indiana where a basketball team had been playing and now staying
in the same convention hotel as I was. 
Come midnight after their win and much partying, they started shooting
?baskets’ down the hallway.  Fun for
them, but the rest of us suffered until security came and curtailed their
partying.  All hotels have a nighttime
curfew usually 10 or 11 PM and if others are disturbing your peace , you have a
right to inform the front desk.  Don’t
complain.  Just state the facts
calmly.  They usually send up security
immediately to rectify the situation. 
You have hotel rights too.

Sleep
tight while traveling.

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