by Kacey Mya Bradley | November 2, 2015 7:16 pm
Life is stressful. There’s no doubt about it. The everyday grind of your 9 to 5 job might start to impact your overall health. Maybe you can’t sleep at night because you are too stressed about your tasks at work the next day.
You decide that you need a break from this so you plan a vacation. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to relax, get away from life’s stresses, and get some sleep. But then something terrible happens. You go away on vacation and you can’t sleep. You’re tossing and turning in bed all night and sleep just never comes.
This can happen for many reasons. Let’s break down different tactics that will help you fully relax on vacation and get some sleep in the process.
1. Adjust to Time Zone Prior to Vacation
Your sleep schedule can become messed up when you travel across time zones. Your body is accustomed to the time zone that you live in, so it is difficult for it to adjust.
Try to make this adjust before your vacation by going to sleep and waking up earlier or later ( you will travel to). If you are traveling west, go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. If you are travelling east, go to bed a little later.
It’ll still take your body a day or two to get used to the new time zone despite the adjustments made prior to vacation. If you wake up earlier when you travel to the west, then try to stay in bed a little later that first day of vacation. Set an alarm to wake yourself up earlier when you travel east.
2. Wind Down Before Bed
Vacations can be very hectic. Either you are exploring different cities or regions all day, or you have events scheduled at different times that you have to make sure you are on time for. This hectic schedule can make you wired and you’ll find you are wide-awake at night. You will also be excited for the next day, and this will keep you awake as well.
Try to wind down before bed to help relax your brain. Read a book, listen to the radio, or meditate before you turn off the lights and let your head hit the pillow. You will find that this goes a long way in falling asleep.
3. Figure Out Your Personal Sleep Comfort
Sometimes your lack of sleep on vacations is due to an uncomfortable mattress, pillow, or sheets. Hotels or rental homes will sometimes want to save money and not spend a lot on quality items.
If you are staying in a rental home, then you will have the flexibility of bringing your own sleep materials. This will help you sleep because your brain knows that the feeling of your mattress and pillow means that it’s time to sleep. The same goes for sheets as well.
To ensure maximum level of comfort, you must choose the right mattress. Memory foam and latex mattresses are the two top choices that will .
Your body is used to the mattress, blanket, and pillow that you use everyday. Take notice of the materials that are comfortable to you, and try to replicate those things on vacation.
4. Maintain Your Routine
Just like your mattress and pillows, your brain is also accustomed to your everyday routine. It knows the triggers that you use to signal that it is time for bed.
You will probably spend your vacation exploring or laying on the beach, which goes against your daily routine. Although this is fine, try to keep up with your routine as much as possible. Eat your meals at the same time and try to go to the bed around the same time that you normally do. Your body so this maintaining your normal routine will help you sleep better at night.
Drown Out The Noise
Hotels and resorts might be a nightmare to get sleep on a vacation because other people are on vacation as well. This means that other people might be loud at night, which makes it difficult for you to sleep.
There are many ways to minimize this noise. You can buy a white noise machine that will drown out the sound of people yelling at two in the morning. You can also purchase earplugs or listen to soothing music that will lull you to sleep.
5. Find Time to Relax
Vacations can get crazy when you have many events crammed into a tight schedule. Find time to lay down and relax throughout the day. You deserve it!
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