I’ve been travelling a lot the last 6 months for work. Mostly nationally but some international travel too. And while I’m still figuring out the best systems to put in place, one thing that is usually a priority for me to sort out (as well as my nutrition) is sleep.
Sleeping well when travelling is really important to me as usually the reason I’m travelling is to deliver a workshop somewhere. So I need to be on my game. So sleep (along with what I eat and how I move) when travelling is super important.
Here are a few things I make sure of when I travel.
Decent Bed
If you travel a lot, then this will be easier to implement. Why? Because if you travel frequently you’ll probably get used to which hotel chains have the best beds. I am pretty guaranteed when I stay at one particular chain that the bed will be to my liking. So of course, a decent bed is going to be key. But moving on to the more ‘Hari-type’ advice…
Black Tape (or Blue Tac)
Black tape, you say? What? Why? Well, I am very anal about light in the room, and so many times when staying in hotels there are all these lights that annoy me. Whether that be from the phone, TV, sprinkler or fire alarm, or even light coming through the door viewfinder. I use the black tape to cover it over. Simple as that. Most the time, a lot of hotels that I’ve been to you can’t turn off the TV and other things, so this allows for all the annoying lights to disappear. You could also use blue tac too. I think I got this idea from Ben Greenfield, and so thanks for that Ben!
An example of the black insulation tape I might use: https://amzn.to/2D6IXqh
Eye Mask
Eye masks. Yes, again with the light. I don’t use one at home, but I used to use something over my eyes for many years. Starting the habit as a teenager, so it took me a while about 6 years ago to ween myself of it. I always found I would get a lot of sleep in my eyes from it. But in hotels, where I can’t guarantee a total black out like at home, I like to ensure a back up.
The masks I prefer now are raised slightly so you can even open your eye under them without eye lashes touching. They have come on a fair bit these days.
See a selection from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2UNc3oW
Wax Ear Plugs
Ear plugs to block out unwanted noise. At home, I’m lucky as it’s really quiet and it’s rare I ever need to use ear plugs. I’ve experimented with a few when travelling though, and the ones a friend of mine bought for me seem to work best. They are wax ear plugs that are light, fit tight and right and block out a good amount of sound. If you are worried about missing your alarm, just set it for a higher volume than normal and test it out. You’ll soon figure it out.
You also tend to wake up to really important noises even with ear plugs – so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. We’re designed to notice things like our babies crying, so you should still notice that. That being said, you just need to test things out really for yourself.
Here’s a few to choose from on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2U8Dkh7
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
I use blue light blocking glasses every day anyway, since 2015. They really help with my sleep I’ve noticed over this time. In hotels, it’s even more important for me to bring them along as I can’t vary the ambient light as much as I can at home, so they are always with me travelling (unless I freakishly forget them!).
I recommend you buy a pair for home too. Sure, they might look a bit dorky, but your sleep will improve. Personally I recommend getting a pair that ‘wrap around’ the side of the eye too as too many people use ones that let in light through the edges which I don’t think really helps.
Here’s the pair that I have and recommend, although I’ll be looking for an additional pair that are more ‘incognito’ so I can wear out and about in the evenings. https://amzn.to/2D4MANw
Magnesium
I’ve talked about magnesium and why it’s really important in this blog here: http://harikalymnios.com/supplements-i-take-and-maybe-you-should-too so I won’t go into it here.
Suffice it to say, that magnesium helps with sleep. So I travel with a magnesium spray which is easier than trying to have a bath each night (which I don’t manage to do at home either!). Again, if you want to know more about magnesium, read the blog, but just know it can help with sleep, muscle relaxation and stress reduction.
This is the one I currently use: https://amzn.to/2D65bZN
I just spray it about 20-30 times on neck, chest, armpits, sometimes the legs or anywhere else that might feel sore. If nothing sore, then chest, neck and armpits only usually.
Bonus Tip (not in video): Tea
I also travel with special tea that helps induce sleep. The brands I use (and I tend to use one teabag about 3-4 times) are Pukka – Night Time, or Yogi Tea – Bedtime. I find the Pukka one more inductive of sleep, but they are both great.
OK, so there we have it. Some of my travel tips for getting a better night’s sleep when in hotels, and also anywhere else for that matter.
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What are your tips? Let me know below.
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