Serta’s tips for sleeping when travelling
We’ve all been there; you travel for hours, you’re hopelessly tired when you reach your destination, you finally get to your hotel, crawl into bed, turn off the light and… you lie there wide awake for what seems like an eternity.
The next time you’re away from home, keep in mind Serta's top tips to getting a blissful night’s sleep while travelling:
- Curb the effects of jet lag: A few days before a trip, start slowly adjusting your clock to reflect the time at your destination. You can use the free website Jet Lag Rooster to figure out exactly how to modify your sleep schedule based on how long you’ll be travelling and what time zones you’re travelling to and from. This helps the body acclimatise more naturally to the time change when you arrive.
- Drink plenty of water: We all know flying and travelling are incredibly dehydrating. Filling up on water will not only help replenish your skin after a plane ride, it will also help combat fatigue.
- Relax with a massage: A late afternoon/early evening spa massage is a wonderful way to calm the mind and the body. Instead of a vigorous deep tissue treatment, opt for something gentle. Tell your therapist that you’d like them to use oils that are more calming, like lavender or rose.
- Don’t overeat before bed: It’s easy to overindulge while on the road, but do your best to avoid overeating right before bed. This also applies to alcohol. A few glasses of wine can be relaxing, but a bottle can really disrupt your sleeping pattern. If you do splurge, a brief walk will help stimulate digestion and water will temper the effects of alcohol.
- Dim the lights: When you come back to your room at night, don’t turn every light on. If there are dimmer switches, use them to help transition into a restful state so you fall asleep more quickly when it’s time for bed.
- Take advantage of the bathtub if there is one: A hot shower before bed, or — better yet — a bath, treated with soothing aroma therapeutic oil enables deep muscle relaxation.
- Unplug: Thirty minutes before bedtime turn off all screens – TVs, computers and cell/smartphones – to decrease brain stimulation.
- Stay true to your at-home ritual: Keep to your usual bedtime routine as consistently as possible while on the road. Do you always read before bed, listen to relaxing music, or apply hand lotion with a calming scent? The body uses these actions as cues that it’s time to go to sleep; so the more you keep this routine the same, the more likely you are to get a better night’s sleep.
Enjoy your travels!
