Tips for sleeping while traveling: Sleep hygiene techniques for business travelers

Sleeping while traveling comes with the territory on business trips. However, sleeping on a plane or in a hotel room away from the comfort of your own bed can add up to serious fatigue over time. Between jet lag and overstimulating work, it’s common to experience insomnia while traveling, which in turn hinders daytime productivity.

We’ve gathered science-backed sleep hygiene techniques and practical tips to help you rest – no matter where your work takes you.

Why is it so hard to sleep when traveling?

Travel opens the doors to fresh opportunities, relationship-building, and business development. Sleeping while traveling is difficult for many reasons, whether it’s disrupted routines or uncomfortable plane seats. Airplanes are dry and loud, while business hotels don’t always have all the comforts of home.

Jet lag is also a major cause of insomnia. Crossing multiple time zones throws off a traveler’s natural circadian rhythm. Changes to diet, fitness routines, and daily schedules further contribute to insomnia. Business trips are often packed with meetings, leaving little time for rest. This takes a toll on the traveler in the form of exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and even anxiety.

Travel fatigue can be costly for businesses, too, with every hour of lost sleep impacting the bottom line. A study showed that workers sleeping less than six hours per night reported a productivity loss of 2.4% higher than those sleeping seven hours or more.

Sleep hygiene techniques for frequent business travel

Sleeping while traveling is often problematic, but the stress of important business makes it even more difficult. Follow sleep hygiene techniques to keep your health on track.

Adjust before you go

It typically takes one day for your body to adjust to a new time zone. If you’re crossing several time zones, start adjusting your bedtime a few days in advance. Go to bed earlier or later, one hour each day, to move your internal clock closer to the destination time.

On shorter trips, follow the two-day rule

For shorter business trips, there’s no time for your body to properly adapt to the new time zone. If you’re going somewhere for less than two days, stick to your usual schedule wherever your itinerary permits. Try scheduling meetings during your regular waking hours.

On longer trips, follow the local schedule

While short trips give little time for adjustment, when business travel lasts longer than two days, you’ll need to get used to the local time zone and schedule. After an overnight flight with little sleep, it’s tempting to go to bed as soon as you get there. Not only do packed business itineraries rarely allow this, it’s also counterproductive in terms of sleep hygiene.

Create an at-home atmosphere

Treat sleep on business trips the same way you would at home, whether that involves a pre-bed workout, skincare routine, or meditation session. For example, if you usually listen to white noise before falling asleep, bring your device with you.

Minimize blue light

Work trips are busy – it’s tempting to keep answering emails and working on your laptop right up until bedtime. However, the blue light emitted by screens disrupts your circadian rhythm and makes it more difficult to sleep. Turn off your devices at least one—if not two—hours before bedtime. Dim the lights, take a bath, or read a book.

Keep moving

Exercise offers a natural way to fight jet lag and stay in tune with your body’s natural rhythms. Use the gym at your business hotel to start the day with a run or a weight lifting session. This will naturally tire you out for a more restful night of sleep later.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine

This might be difficult when socializing with clients and colleagues, but alcohol leads to poor sleep. While caffeine can give you a morning lift, consuming it later in the day will have a lasting stimulating effect.

Keep naps short and sweet

A short afternoon nap can give you the boost you need to make it through a few more hours of meetings. The key is to time it right. Napping for too long can make you feel disoriented and groggy, so try and limit your nap to under 30 minutes for best results.

What’s the secret to sleeping on a plane?

While some doze off as soon as they’re buckled in, many travelers find sleeping on planes a struggle.

The best way to sleep on a plane is to create a restful environment. Travel at off-peak times when you’re more likely to have empty seats next to you, or book a reclining business class seat if your company’s travel policy allows it.

Here are a few more tips for sleeping on a plane:

• Dress for comfort: Wear loose layers to combat temperature swings before and after take-off, and swap dressy shoes for a pair of compression socks and travel slippers.
• Follow your bedtime routine: The best way to sleep on a plane is to trick your body into feeling like it’s bedtime by taking out contact lenses, moisturizing, and brushing your teeth.
• Block the light: Even with the overhead lights off and shades drawn, airplanes are still bright. Pack an eye mask to create a calm, dark environment more conducive to sleep.
• Wear noise-canceling headphones: During take-off and landing, cabin noise levels reach 105 decibels – as loud as a rock concert. At cruising altitude, this drops to 85 decibels, which is still as loud as a lawn mower. To sleep better, block the noise with a pair of headphones.
• Maximize seat space: When you’re not using your laptop, store belongings in the overhead bin and stretch out to keep blood circulating to your legs and feet. Use armrests to support your upper body and relieve pressure on your back.
• Use travel pillows: Sleeping upright is hard – that’s why tips for sleeping on a plane focus on posture support. Place a small pillow behind your lower back to encourage a natural spine position, and an ergonomic neck pillow to support your chin.
• Stay hydrated: Any frequent business traveler knows just how dry the air is on a plane. In fact, airplane cabins are usually in the range of 10% to 20% humidity. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

What’s the best way to sleep in a hotel?

Once you’ve checked in to your hotel, it may take some time to settle into a sleep routine. Research shows that in unfamiliar sleeping environments, people often experience a “first night effect” that keeps one part of the brain vigilant for signs of danger. This means you’re more likely to experience insomnia when sleeping in a hotel.

Follow these tips to enjoy more sound and restful sleep in a hotel:

• Adjust the temperature: The optimal sleep temperature falls between 64 and 68 degrees, so turn down the heat.
• Try pink noise: While white noise plays at the same frequency to calm the brain, pink noise is even more effective at lulling the mind and encouraging you to fall asleep. Pink noise includes calming sounds found in nature, like waves crashing on the shore or rustling leaves.
• Use guided meditation: Along with pink noise, meditation is a proven way to reduce anxiety, improve wellness, and calm your mind for a restful sleep. Apps like Headspace and Calm—which are offered by many companies as part of an employee wellness package—have useful meditation programs for business travelers.
• Cover blinking lights: Hotel rooms are filled with small sleep-disrupting lights, from blinking fire alarms to digital clock displays. Use a sleeping mask to create a dark environment conducive to rest.

What is the best sleep aid while traveling?

Sleep aids for flights include prescription sedatives and over-the-counter calming medications. If you need to remain clearheaded for driving or client meetings, try natural sleep aids like magnesium or melatonin to encourage more restful sleep. Melatonin relieves jet lag by regulating the body’s sleep cycle, while magnesium provides a naturally relaxing effect on the muscles.

As an alternative to sleep aids, try lavender aromatherapy instead. A Wesleyan University study found that lavender helped fight insomnia, increasing deep, slow-wave sleep.

What to pack in your business travel sleep kit

If you’re a frequent business flyer, you probably already have travel accessories for a more comfortable experience. Whether sleeping on a plane, train, or in hotel room, here’s a sample packing list.

• Travel pillow
• Light-blocking sleep mask
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Sleep socks
• White or pink noise app
• Meditation app
• Water bottle
• Healthy snacks
• Lavender essential oils
• Melatonin or prescription sleep aid for the flight

Conclusion

No matter where your business travels take you, you can prepare for better sleep using the techniques above. You can also use travel management solutions to find business flights and hotels conducive to a good night’s rest.

Find the best way to sleep on a plane with pre-booking strategies. Whether you prefer window or aisle, choose the most comfortable seats for you, as well as business hotels that include wellness facilities. Compare and book everything from a free all-in-one platform to minimize sleep-disrupting stress.