6 Tips for a good night’s sleep in a hotel

Different people adapt to new situations in different ways, including sleeping in a hotel room. While some of us find it easy to fall into a deep slumber in a hotel, others don’t. Luckily, there are a number of ways to overcome this problem. Below is a list of six brilliant tips for a good night’s sleep in a hotel. If you have trouble sleeping in foreign beds, this article’s for you!

Request a hotel room on a high floor

The higher the floor, the lesser the noise! The hotel may not be able to accommodate your request, but there is no harm in asking for a room on a higher floor. Generally, anything that’s on the fourth floor or higher is a safe bet. But again, the higher, the better. 

When you’re on a higher floor, you’re further away from the noise and pollution of city life. Getting a room on a higher floor is especially beneficial if you’re in a large city where there’s traffic 24/7. While big city-life is exciting, it can get tiring quickly. So, when arranging for a place to stay the night, try booking a room that’s high up in the quiet sky.

Avoid your phone right before bed

All screens, including the one on your mobile phone, emit light that fits within the blue light frequency. This kind of light has a high frequency and is a cue to your body clock that it’s time to be awake. While this is fantastic for the daytime, it’s not too great at night, especially right before you hit the hay. 

Sleeping in a hotel room may already have you feeling uncomfortable, making it harder for you to fall asleep. Having your phone by your side while you’re trying to sleep will just make things worse. With your phone by your side, you can say goodbye to sound sleep thanks to its blue light. If you want to sleep well, try shutting your phone off an hour before you intend to sleep.

Some blue light is also found in overhead lights, particularly fluorescent lights. If your hotel room is overly well-lit, just use a lamp or some of the lights after your evening meal. 

Say ‘no’ to nightcaps

Filling yourself with alcohol right before bed is not a good idea if you want to sleep well. While some alcohol might be fine, people often end up drinking more than usual whilst traveling. Alcohol is also readily available in hotel rooms, so we’re more likely to have it right before we go to bed. 

Alcohol hinders sleep patterns and severely disrupts your REM sleep. The REM phase is the most important phase of your sleep; it’s when your body repairs itself and helps you recover from the day’s stresses. 

Stick to your routine 

We all have certain rituals in place that we practice every day without fail. The key to sleeping well is to make your hotel room feel like a home away from home. Travel expert, Suzanne Garber, notes that people who practice their normal daily rituals while in hotel rooms will experience the best quality of sleep. For example, if you habitually take a warm shower right before bed every night, go ahead and do it in your hotel room too. 

It can be difficult to force yourself to do these rituals after a tiring day of work or sightseeing, but doing them will make you feel more relaxed and at ease. You have trained your body to see your bedtime routine as a signal for sleep.  Use this to your advantage.  

Use a white noise app

White noise isn’t just a trend. This technique of listening to melody-less sounds at bedtime has been around for a while, and it actually works! Strictly, white noise is a static-like sound that emits sound on all levels of the audible spectrum, which is fantastic for blocking out unwanted noises. White noise is often set to a more natural soundscape, like the soft beating of raindrops on the roof or the sound of gentle waves hitting the sand. 

Sounds soothing, doesn’t it? So, go ahead and use a white noise app for your sleep. A huge range of free and paid apps offer white noise. Try a few, and find one that works for you (and, of course, your sleeping partner.)

Many white noise apps have a timer, enabling the sounds to shut down after some time automatically. Most people find that they only need the white noise on while they are trying to get to sleep. However, if your hotel room is noisy, you may need it on all night.

Use simple sleep aids

Using an eye mask is a great idea to sleep better in a hotel, especially if you’re a person who’s easily disturbed by even the faintest of lights. Many hotel windows allow light in, even when the curtains are drawn. Luckily, wearing an eye mask will solve this problem no matter where you are. Not all eye masks are created equal, so purchase a 100% light-blocking mask if you are sensitive. Complete darkness helps put you into a better state of rest by appealing to the pineal gland.

As well as packing your sleep mask, make sure you put some earplugs in your bag. Because you won’t know until you get to your hotel room whether there will be noise or what type of noise it is, always have earplugs to be on the safe side.

As you can see, there are many things you can do that will help you sleep well at night in a hotel room. Use these tips and tricks to relax and improve your sleep time, no matter where you are in the world.