Sleeping away from home: ten tips for everyone who prefers to sleep in their own bed

There are many reasons why some people are unable to sleep when travelling and while on holiday. A strange environment with unfamiliar smells, a harder bed or one that is too soft, the noise in hotel complexes or jet lag from changing time zones are just a few of the factors that can adversely affect sleep.

To ensure that you can sleep better away from home, you should first identify what is triggering your inner unrest. Our ten tips will help you find out what is stopping you from falling or staying asleep while on holiday and how to directly address these issues. Don’t worry, even the smallest changes in your sleeping habits will often suffice!

Holidays are a time to recharge your batteries. If you need another holiday as soon as you return from one, you need to optimise your sleep while travelling. Here are our ten tips for sleeping better away from home!

For many people, a strange environment and a different bed are crucial factors that adversely affect their sleep while on holiday. Therefore, you should take items with you to replicate the comfort of your own home while on holiday; it is a great idea to take your own pillow, for example!

If you’re travelling by plane or don’t have enough room in your luggage for other reasons, you can also take your usual bedroom fragrance. To trick your brain, buy a calming fragrance a few weeks before your holiday and use this in your bedroom every night, then in your hotel room. Lavender is particularly conducive to getting to sleep.

Do you prefer a certain mattress firmness? Unlike your pillow, it is difficult to take your usual mattress on holiday with you, unfortunately. But you can simply ask the hotel or landlord of your holiday home about the mattress firmness. If this doesn’t meet your needs, it may be better to choose different accommodation or enquire about appropriate alternatives; after all, a sleepless holiday isn’t exactly relaxing!

Many holidaymakers like to stay up late into the night in order to sleep in as long as possible the next morning. There is nothing essentially wrong with this, but if you suffer from insomnia while on holiday, it may help to not completely disrupt your usual routine. If you have been busy during the day and are suitably tired in the evening, it is often easier to fall asleep. So keep active while on holiday, rather than relaxing by the pool all day. Staying up an hour longer in the evening and then catching up on your sleep the next morning isn't a problem, of course.

In addition to your customary sleep routine, you may also have rituals that you usually follow before going to bed. You shouldn't neglect these just because you are on holiday! After you have showered, put on a pair of comfortable pyjamas and brushed your teeth, you may want to meditate, write in your diary or drink a calming tea, for example. These are good ways of reflecting on your day.

Ideally, you should also put aside your mobile phone an hour before going to bed and avoid taking it to bed with you. Also, ventilate your bedroom or leave the window open at night; that’s the only way you’ll be able to ensure cooler temperatures and a pleasant atmosphere in the bedroom at night, especially in very hot regions.

Do you have a long-haul journey ahead of you or are you travelling at night? A neck pillow and/or bolster is ideal for restorative sleep on the train, plane or other means of transport. It supports your head so that you can take a nap while sitting up, any time, anywhere.

Noise is another very common cause of insomnia while on holiday. Be it at the airport, on the plane or in noisy hotel complexes, ear plugs are ideal for blocking out background noise such as loud music, aircraft engines, etc. If you are travelling by bus or other public transport, don’t forget to set a vibrating alarm to avoid missing your stop.

Ear plugs will help ensure a good night’s sleep. But what about sunlight? While you can lower your blinds or draw the curtains for a peaceful night’s sleep at home, the morning sun often wakes you up early in southern regions. An eye mask is ideal for shutting out sunlight in the morning or during your siesta. You can conveniently carry this with you everywhere, allowing you to sleep better on public transport.

Jet lag frequently occurs on long journeys across one or more time zones. To counteract some of the impact, start adjusting to the time at your destination a few days before your holiday. If you are travelling east, simply get up and go to bed a little later every day. When travelling west, to America for example, it makes sense to put your clocks forward.

Most people know that caffeine keeps us awake and can disturb our sleep. So you should avoid having an espresso as an after-dinner nightcap. Unfortunately, the same applies to alcoholic beverages. Because even if you allegedly sleep well under the influence of alcohol, researchers have identified more frequent waking phases and lighter sleep than among people who haven't had a drink before going to bed.

So avoid both coffee and alcohol, especially late at night, in order to combat insomnia while on holiday. However, a cup of herbal or chamomile tea before going to bed has a calming effect and may help induce sleep!

There are swarms of mosquitos and other insects in hot holiday destinations, as well as by water. The reflection of the water also increases the likelihood of sunburn, especially by and in the sea. Both these factors mean that many people are unable to sleep while on holiday.

Therefore, two important items in your luggage are sunscreen and mosquito spray! A heat pen can also help stop mosquito bites from itching and keeping you awake at night. Sunscreen and mosquito repellent should both be applied liberally. Make sure your sun cream has a high UV factor and remember to reapply it frequently, especially at the beginning of your holiday.

It also makes sense to observe country-specific lunch breaks and avoid the blazing midday sun. After-sun lotion acts as a moisturiser after sunbathing. It stops your skin from feeling unpleasantly tight during the night and preventing you from sleeping. In general, you should also look after your skin while on holiday.

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