Five Ways to Make Sure You Get Plenty of Sleep While You’re on Vacation
There are a lot of expectations when you plan a vacation. You expect the hotel to be a certain way, you expect to spend a decent chunk of money, and you expect to have a good time. Do you have any expectations when it comes to sleep?
For most vacationers, sleep is put on the back-burner. With so many things to experience, and such a short time to experience them all, it isn’t uncommon for people to get a lot less sleep than they usually do when they’re at home.
That can spell disaster for your vacation. You may be able to do and experience more with less sleep, but you’ll also be crankier too!
The next time you go on vacation, do your part to make sure you get a good night’s sleep with these tips and see how it enhances your experience.
Stay Active
Vacations are a time to rest and relax. Some locations promote that attitude more than others. For example, there are a lot of things you can plan to do on Mackinac Island, but this vacation experience comes with slow-moving traffic and plenty of time sitting on the front porch. Vacations like this can be relaxing, but they can also make it harder for you to sleep at night.
If you’ve spent the day lounging by the pool or sipping wine on the porch of your bed and breakfast, you’ll find that you aren’t tired at night. Make sure you’re ready for bed by staying active on your vacation. Take a long walk or go for a bike ride to ensure your body is ready to rest when the sun goes down.
Bring Ear Plugs and an Eye Mask
It doesn’t matter if you regularly use an eye mask or ear plugs. You should always bring them with you on vacation because they are a quick and easy way to promote sleep.
Ear plugs can help drown out the noisy family in the hotel room next to yours, and an eye mask can help combat the sun that shines in through the window in the morning. They are especially helpful if you are experiencing jet lag and need to sleep during the day.
Know What You Need to Be Comfortable
Sleeping comfortably can be a huge challenge. You’ve probably got everything just right at home to ensure you sleep as comfortable as possible, but all that stuff isn’t guaranteed in your hotel room.
Know what you need to be comfortable when you sleep, and bring those items with you. A few examples include:
- A fan or a noise machine
- Your own pillow
- A comfortable blanket
- A heated pad
Don’t be afraid to ask the hotel staff for additional items that would make your bed more comfortable. Request extra pillows and blankets, if needed. Some hotels even have body pillows, if you like to lean up against something when you sleep.
Stick to Your Routine
Whether you know it or not, you probably have a bedtime routine at home. It might mean watching a little bit of TV, taking a bath, or reading a book. Take that routine with you when you go on vacation to help promote a better night’s sleep.
Want to stay out a little later than usual on vacation? You can still grab a late dinner or catch a show after the sun goes down, but no matter how late it is when you get back, be willing to run that bath if you know it will help you relax.
Take Plenty of Naps
Many travelers forgo naps on vacation. How can you spend the afternoon snoozing when there are so many things to do!
Packing your schedule can cause you to enjoy your vacation less—not more. That’s especially the case if you’re unable to focus your full attention on whatever you’re doing because you’re so sleep deprived.
There are a lot of great benefits of taking a daily nap, which include a better vacation experience. Not only can taking a nap make you feel more rested for the evening’s activities, it’s also a must if you’re experiencing jet lag. It’s much better to adjust your schedule slowly by taking naps than it is to try and stay awake for 24 hours.
Don’t let sleep elude you while you’re on vacation. You can rest well and enjoy your vacation more when you put sleep first with the tips on this list.