Don't fret the first night and nap if you need: how to sleep well, away from home

"As the working year draws to a close, many of us only have one hope for the season, and that's a decent night's sleep. While not every family visit or post-Christmas getaway is going to be a trip to Rancho Relaxo, a few things can help us catch holiday kip. Pre-departure apps can be useful, so can pillow mists and thermoregulation, but when it comes to maximising rest on the road, some say less is more."

"Don't fear the first night Our sleeping-while-travelling woes often begin before we leave home. Between frantic last minute packing, finishing up work and early departures you're [likely] already a bit sleep deprived, Dr Sutapa Mukherjee, a respiratory and sleep physician and professor at Flinders University in Adelaide, says. Compound that with the logistics of actually getting to your final destination and even a relatively short travel time can put sleep hygiene off kilter."

"Why do we yawn? It's almost certainly not for the reason you think As we lay our heads down that first night, Dr Moira Junge, a health psychologist and the CEO of the Sleep Health Foundation, says not to freak out if we toss and turn. In sleep science there is a well known phenomenon called the first night effect'. It's really common your senses are adjusting to different sounds and smells, the mattress pressure and level of darkness but you will adapt, quickly."

Travel often causes pre-trip sleep loss due to last-minute packing, work completion, and early departures, worsening sleep hygiene. Short travel and logistics further disrupt routines. The first-night effect causes initial tossing and turning as senses adjust to new sounds, smells, mattress pressure and light levels, but adaptation occurs quickly. Maintaining regular bedtime rituals—bathing, a warm drink, reading—benefits adults as well as children and helps restore sleep patterns while away. Simple aids such as pre-departure apps, pillow mists and thermoregulation can assist, but minimizing stimulation and preserving familiar routines maximizes rest on the road.

Read at www.theguardian.com