🌱 Wellbeing: Better snoozy-snoozy-sleep-sleep during travel
🌱 Wellbeing: Better snoozy-snoozy-sleep-sleep during travel
After 3 countries & 4 different sleep locations in 1 week, here are my top sleep tips
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As a 50 year old perimenopausal woman, sleep is a precious, yet elusive element in my very hormonally-senstive-life. The debilitating symptoms of hormonal change, are often most acute during the night, disturbing my sleep. On a good night - due to a very alert biological clock and impacted by the fluctuations in my hormones - I will wake at least 2 times. That’s on a good night!
So, when I throw in travel transit, changing bedtimes, different temperatures, late eating, new sleep environments, noise etc., I more often than not experience disturbed sleep and wake up on average 5-6 times a night. On occasion not being able to get back to sleep.
I often question, am I totally loco adding in travel to the mix but it is such an inherent part of who I am it is not an option to remove it from my lifestyle. These last 7 days have put these sleep hygiene tips to the test, as a I have travelled over 2,300 plus kilometres by road, from Zaragoza to Caceres, then onto Lisbon, later Zaragoza and then onto Biarritz. Spain, Portugal and France, 3 countries, 4 different beds and lots (and lots!) of transit time plus a total of 24 hours in cars!, these tips below have been put to the ultimate test this last calendar week!
Now, as I write this from a beautiful campsite in Anglet in France, after getting my 12,000 walking steps in for the day, in fresh air and nature (pictured below), and after spending a lovely family day exploring nearby St Jean de Luz and the stunning Basque Coast, we all know and feel it is very much worth it.
Therefore, I endeavour to practice exemplary sleep hygiene and here are my top tips.
Exercise outside where and when you can, as a gauge, I try and reach 10,000 walking steps during my day, to support better sleep and a more relaxed bedtime. Natural light, nature and fresh air are all superb sleep aids!
If exercise has not been possible prior to going to bed, try having a long relaxing shower or bath with dim lights at your accommodation, which can help to relax muscles and set the right tone for a drowsy pre-bedtime state
Avoid eating heavy or rich food late at night, if possible leave a minimum of 2 hours of a dgap after your evening dinner and before starting bedtime. Sometimes, to add digestion I drink a peppermint tea.
Abstain from alcohol of any type during the late afternoon into the evening, if I do have the very odd glass of wine, I usually have it with my lunch, earlier in the day
Try to maintain - as near as possible - the same bedtime time when you travel. For me 10:30pm is my sweet spot in Europe for being “sleepy”, so by 10pm, I am normally doing my bedtime wind down routine (see below)
Note: With a 9 year old child, this can be challenging as she often wants to stay up late - so we try and ensure when we travel together, that if needed I go to bed and she settles herself by reading prior to falling asleep
Follow a set bedtime routine, always! From dimming the lights, to changing into your sleep wear, preparing your bed, using lavender (from my sleep kit, see below), reading and writing etc.
Reading as a ritual before sleep time - I generally travel with a non work related paperback book (yep, no kindles for me!) which is generally fiction, poetry or on spiritual in theme.
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Gauge your readiness to sleep and adjust your routine, as needed - before you settle down, if you feel more awake than usual and/or your head is busy, think about writing some notes - I also always travel with a notebook and pen - or reading more before bedtime. Often I also do some simple breathing or relaxation exercises to ease myself into a more tranquil state and support better sleep
Put all tech and devices out of the main area that you sleep in, no matter how small the space is! Yes, I have often have put my rucksack with devices into the bathroom in my lodging!
Sleep kit - I never leave home (even for an overnight!) without it, my reliable sleep kit of; an eye mask, silicon earplugs, travel alarm clock and lavender essential oil (pictured). Is always the first thing packed in my bag!
A closing note: My very first article published on Digital Nomad Stories was about my my remote work travel kit and sleep kit, published back on the 2nd of November 2022. Now, I cannot believe that in 5 months and with 34 articles written and published later, I can celebrate a community of 1,292 subscribers and readers. HURRAH! Thanks for all your support and here’s to many more editions! 💚 Ro
Until the next #DigitalNomadStory,
take care, love n light,
💚 Ro
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🙏 Thank you for your support! I will be moving to a paid model for some of my content, by the end of April 2023. Some content, will be free, forever. Some content, will be paid subscriber only. We all deserve to be paid for our work, after all!
Ah this is something I definitely have been trying to work on as of late! Thank you for sharing these tips. 💌
And alcohol, such a disruptive force in terms of sleep.