Skip to Content

How To Sleep While Traveling

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Traveling across time zones can be a tricky battle when it comes to regulating your sleep cycle. No matter if you travel for business often, or you’re taking your first lengthy plane trip, jet lag affects everyone. While it used to be considered a state of mind, more modern studies are defining jet lag as a condition in which there’s an imbalance in your body’s natural clock, making sleep regulation difficult. While there’s no magic pill you can pop to miraculously adjust your body to the new time zone, there are steps you can take to minimize or eliminate the effects of jet lag.

How To Sleep While Traveling

Jet lag is especially tough to combat when you’re traveling from the West to the East. This is because it’s harder to fall asleep earlier when you’re not tired than it is to delay it. Natural ways to regulate your body’s internal clock include exposing yourself to natural sunlight, adjusting your sleeping schedule 3-5 days before your trip, maintaining a proper sleeping environment, and avoiding heavy meals, heavy exercise, and stimulants.

Depending on if your goal is to delay sleep or get to bed earlier, the things you’re going to do to fight jet lag will differ. As the Sleep Foundation website states, “These [circadian] rhythms are measured by the distinct rise and fall of body temperature, plasma levels of certain hormones and other biological conditions. All of these are influenced by our exposure to sunlight and help determine when we sleep and when we wake.” Daylight can shift your body’s internal clock, so make sure you get into the sunlight when you’re tired but need to stay awake. Also, try not to take any naps. Once you arrive at your destination, get into the sun for 15-20 minutes right when you wake up in the morning. This will make you more alert and aid in regulating your body’s cycle.

If you arrive during the night and you’re wide-awake, don’t turn on the TV! The light from the screen will make you even more alert than you already are and you’ll have a tough time getting to bed. Instead, turn out the lights and perform soothing activities. Also, make sure you avoid stimulants like coffee and alcohol if you’re trying to speed up the sleeping process. This means no drinks on the plane. Also, don’t try to make yourself tired by working out once you arrive, you’ll only increase your body temperature, making yourself even more awake.

The best thing you can do is adjust your sleeping habits a few days before you leave. This means getting quality sleep while slowly adjusting the times you’re falling asleep and waking up. There’s no better natural way of making this adjustment than practicing it for a few nights.

Sometimes it’s tough to get a good nights rest in new places like hotel rooms during your trip. Be sure to set the temperature of the room to somewhere between 60-70 degrees and pull the shades across the windows to create a dark environment. Sleep without the TV on and consider any possible sleep disturbances before agreeing to a certain room.

Jet lag is not a serious condition, but an annoying one. Especially if you’re traveling for an important business meeting or vacation, you want to make sure you can focus and enjoy it. These simple steps will bring you one step closer to regulating your body’s sleep cycle effectively.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.