Sleep Better While Traveling

We’re quickly approaching the time of year when people travel a lot, whether it’s for work or to see family and friends.  Whether it’s due to jet lag, a noisy hotel room, or simply not sleeping well away from home, traveling can take a toll on your sleep.  Thankfully, Entrepreneur magazine, written for people who travel a lot for business, has some great tips in a recent article titled simply, “Sleep Better When Traveling“.  Here are some highlights:

Jet Lag
When traveling east and changing time zones by three hours, avoid light from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. in the new location and seek light from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For each additional time zone visited, bump the hours of light avoidance and light seeking forward by one-hour increments (for as much as nine hours).

Sleeping Away From Home
Bring your favorite pillow with you.  Its scent and the reminder of the comfort of home will almost certainly help.  A good eye mask can overcome light issues, while a traveling sound conditioner, ambient-noise phone apps and earplugs can help tame a noisy hotel. Some travelers also suggest requesting corner rooms and rooms away from elevators and busy corridors for quieter evenings.

Sleeping While Flying
Try to select a comfortable airplane seat that provides enough space to stretch out. Pack earplugs or headphones and an eye mask in carry-on bags to avoid disturbances. Set a quiet phone alarm to ring 30 minutes ahead of landing to avoid feeling disoriented or groggy when exiting the plane.

Avoiding Sleepiness While Driving
Be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before, take regular breaks to stretch and have a snack and be familiar with the warning signs of drowsy driving, cited by the National Sleep Foundation. Plan to stop overnight when driving long distances for safer driving and to avoid the side effects of sleep deprivation the next day.

There’s a lot more good advice in the source article.  Be sure to check it out here.