Travelling for work is one of those classic double-edged swords. It’s very exciting and rewarding, but it also wreaks havoc with your day-to-day routine. This is especially true of trips that take you across multiple time zones, which means you could very well disembark in a country that enjoys breakfast at the time you would normally be getting ready for bed, or vice versa.
This type of scenario is pretty nightmarish when you need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for important meetings, so we thought we’d share a few of our top tips for sleeping well when you travel for business. Best of all? You can already start doing these things at home before you leave to pave the way for a less sleep-deprived trip:
Sleeping on a plane is much easier with an eye mask and earplugs. However, if you are not used to these accessories, it can actually hamper sleep. Try it out for a week or two at home before you leave so you can get used to the ‘boxed in’ sensation.
If your time zones will be topsy turvy when you arrive, try to adjust your meal schedule ahead of time. E.g if you’ll be having dinner at the time when you’d normally be having breakfast, switch the heaviness and general content of your meals around at home for a day or two before you leave so your digestive system won’t have to play catchup upon arrival.
Humans are creatures of habit. You are far more likely to sleep well in a space that seems familiar. If you normally stay at the Marriott, Hilton or Best Western whenever you travel, don’t reinvent the wheel. Stick with what you know so your surroundings will be comfortable.
Meditation is a great tool to calm the body and mind to prepare for rest. However, it takes some practice to get into the swing of things. Get into the habit of meditating daily if you want to use this as a sleeping aid on the road.
When you arrive at your destination, you may very well be tempted to take a nap. However, most frequent travellers recommend that you wait until at least 20:00 or 21:00 in your destination, so your body clock can recalibrate itself. If you arrive before noon, you can squeeze in a quick nap, but don’t leave the jet lag to linger in the wake of a longer daytime snooze.
There you have it - a few top tips on sleeping better while you travel from our team of passionate travel planners. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks and months for more insider tips from the TravelManor team. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch if you would like to learn more about our corporate travel planning services. We look forward to helping you tailor rewarding trips whenever you jet off on business.
