Travel kit for better sleep: Get a good night's sleep on the go
New places, new sensations, sounds, smells. Vacation is a time for experiences and adventures. But also time for rest. Which can sometimes be a bit of a problem. A time shift, a different bed and duvet, or a completely different climate zone. In short, an abundance of factors that can turn a pleasant sound sleep into a nightmare. So what can you do to get the most out of sleeping outside your bedroom and come back rested from your vacation?
Darkness will affect melatonin production
For the brain, darkness is a signal to prepare for sleep and regeneration. The reaction is triggered by the hormone melatonin. Its production begins in the evening and the task is clear. Force our body to rest. Its level in the body increases during the night. Melatonin is also important for deep sleep and is produced when we sleep in as much darkness as possible. As the day dawns, its value decreases. And this is a signal for the body to wake up. So if you only have relative darkness during the night, it can disrupt the melatonin production process. Just like sleeping in a hotel room without proper curtains. But if you pack an eye mask, you can take absolute darkness with you everywhere.
One sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. We should get 4 to 5 of them during the night. So the ideal length of sleep is 7.5 to 8 hours.
Noise and sleep quality
And we'll stay at the hotel room for a while longer. In addition to darkness, silence is also important for sleep. It is probably clear that noise is simply incompatible with quality sleep. But did you know that even noise that doesn't directly wake you up can also affect your sleep? During the night we experience different sleep stages. Sleeping in a noisy environment increases the time the body spends in lighter stages of the sleep cycle at the expense of time spent in deep sleep. Noise at night can also increase levels of adrenaline or the stress hormone cortisol. But it's enough to have good quality earplugs and you'll get a good night's sleep anywhere.
