Trouble Sleeping When Traveling? 5 Easy Ways to Sleep
Traveling can be exciting, but changing time zones, unfamiliar environments, and disrupted routines can make it challenging to get quality sleep. Whether you’re exploring New York City, wandering the streets of Paris, or relaxing at a beach resort in Miami, sleep is essential to fully enjoy your trip.
Here are five simple strategies to help you sleep better while traveling, no matter where your adventures take you.
1. Optimize Your Room Conditions
Even in unfamiliar hotels or Airbnb rentals, making your room as comfortable as possible can dramatically improve sleep quality.
Room Temperature:
A cooler room at night helps your body achieve deeper sleep. Your internal temperature naturally rises and falls with your sleep cycles, so keeping the room cool can improve rest.
Pillows and Bedding:
Pick pillows, comforters, and blankets that feel comfortable for you. Even hotels with multiple pillows can vary widely in support, so find what works best for your sleep style.
Light and Noise:
Block out city lights or use blackout curtains.
If you’re in a noisy environment, don’t hesitate to ask for a quieter room or use earplugs.
White noise machines or apps can also help drown out background sounds, whether you’re in a bustling city like London or a busy airport hotel.
2. Wear Comfortable Sleep Attire
Clothing:
Loose, soft, and breathable sleepwear helps your body relax, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
Ear Plugs:
If you’re unable to escape a noisy environment, try using earplugs. They are also helpful when flying at night or on long flights. Try a pair of these reusable earplugs.
Eye Mask:
If you’re in a brightly lit environment where you can’t block out light, consider wearing an eye mask. It’s also a lifesaver on airplanes, especially since you never know when your neighbor might open their window shade. Try adding a little lavender oil to your mask to help soothe you into sleep. Explore sleep mask options.
3. Quiet Your Mind
When traveling, our thoughts are often the biggest thing keeping us awake at night. Whether it’s worries about traveling or the excitement of exploring a new place, our minds tend to race. The constant stream of “what ifs” and planning can make it hard to quiet the mind. Try these techniques to calm your thoughts:
Sleep Meditations:
Meditation is a powerful tool to help quiet your mind and ease your body into sleep. Guided sleep meditations help you focus on your breath, release stress, and bring you into a relaxed state. You can find guided meditations specifically designed to help with jet lag or travel stress, making it easier to fall asleep in unfamiliar places.
Breathing Meditation:
Even a few minutes of deep breathing can shift your mindset, reduce racing thoughts, and prepare you for a peaceful night’s sleep.
For breathing exercises, I enjoy an exercise called Box Breathing. The pattern I follow involves four simple steps that create a visual “box” shape in your breathing cycle:
- INHALE – Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
- HOLD – Hold your breath for a count of 4.
- EXHALE – Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.
- HOLD – Hold your breath again for a count of 4 before starting the next cycle.
- Keep making boxes until you drop off into sleep.
Body Scan Meditation:
Mentally scan your body from head to toe, releasing tension in each area.
Sleep Music or White Noise:
Calming background sounds, sleep music, or white noise can help create a serene environment that promotes better sleep. Whether you’re in a busy hotel room or on a noisy plane, these sounds can help drown out distractions, soothe your mind, and signal your body that it’s time to wind down.
Audiobooks:
Listening to audiobooks can be a great way to unwind and ease into sleep, especially if you need something to distract your mind. However, it’s important to choose content that’s soothing and relaxing rather than stimulating. Avoid thrillers, intense dramas, or anything that might keep you engaged or alert. Instead, opt for calming genres or even sleep stories designed specifically to help you drift off. The goal is to let the narrator’s voice guide you into a restful state, not keep you awake thinking about plot twists.
Counting Down:
To quiet constant mental chatter, one helpful technique is to focus your attention on a singular, repetitive task. A great way to do this is by counting down. When your brain is engaged in counting, it has less room to wander, helping to ease you into a state of calm.
Begin by setting a clear intention. For instance, “I am going to calm my mind and drift into a peaceful sleep.
Now, in your mind, start counting down from 30. 30, 29, 28, 27,,,,, until you reach 1. You might find you’ll lose track of where you are in the countdown, your mind wanders, and you get distracted and lose count. That’s ok, as most of us will lose focus when we first start this process. Just start again at 30 and count back until you reach 1.
Once you reach 1, start again at 30, but slow down your pace. 30,,,,,,29,,,,,28,,,,27,,,,, until you could down to 1.
In the next round of counting down, you’ll do the countdown from 30 but this time you’ll also include slow, focused breathing (remember slow and rhythmic using long breaths as you count in and out): Inhale 30, exhale 29, inhale 28, exhale 27,,, you might find that you won’t make it to 1 before you drift off to sleep.
The point of the exercise is to quiet your mind so you can fall asleep.
4. Prepare for Time Zone Changes
Crossing multiple time zones can disrupt your circadian rhythm and lead to jet lag.
Adjust Your Sleep Schedule:
Gradually shift your bedtime and wake-up time before traveling.
Sunlight Exposure:
Once you arrive, get natural light exposure to help reset your internal clock.
Consistent Routine:
Stick to a regular bedtime and wake-up schedule to support your circadian rhythm, even in a new city like Tokyo or Rome.
5. Stay Active During the Day
Physical Activity:
Gentle movement during the day, like walking tours, hikes, or light stretching, helps release tension and promotes better sleep. Avoid intense exercise too close to bedtime.
Walk and Explore:
Walking not only supports your sleep but is also a low-impact way to explore new cities, parks, and neighborhoods.
Avoid Long Naps:
While tempting after long flights, long naps can make it harder to adjust to the local time zone.
Sleep Better While Traveling
Traveling can disrupt your usual sleep routine, but with a few adjustments, you can rest well wherever you are. By optimizing your room conditions, wearing comfortable sleep attire, calming your mind, preparing for time zones, and staying active, you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to enjoy every destination — from New York City to Paris, London, or beyond.
Sweet dreams and happy travels!
If you found these tips helpful, we invite you to explore more of our Mindset Stories. From managing travel anxiety to aligning your thinking for positive experiences, these stories offer practical strategies to strengthen your mindset wherever you go. Check them out here.
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