This one goes out to you business travelers, you brave, underappreciated warriors of the road you!
Business travel is tough. People don’t often respect that fact. Not only to you have to be on top form to get things done, you often have to do it after a long journey and a terrible night’s rest.
It’s a lot easier for those schmucks back in head office, all they have to do is roll out of bed and walk to work. They can then hide behind their desktop until home time. The chancers!
When you’re out of the road you have no place to hide, you just have to get out there and get things done. Yet do you get the praise you deserve? Pfft, not a chance! The world is an unfair place my friend.
Well, there’s nothing we can really do about the world being an unfair place right now, but we can help you get a better night’s rest the next time you hit the road for work. Read on for my top three tips for sleeping while traveling for work.
Bring some home comforts
Have you ever wondered why the sleep you get in hotel rooms often just feels so much less rejuvenating than the sleep you get at home? I mean, the bed is comfy, the sheets are clean, the room is a nice temperature. What’s going on?
Well, it seems it’s all our brain’s fault. Silly brain! Researchers have discovered that when we sleep in unfamiliar surroundings a section of our brain simply refuses to switch off completely. Instead it stays on alert, acting as a kind of lookout for any potential dangers.
It seems this little quirk is an evolutionary hangover from the days with slept in forests infested by sabre-toothed tigers. I supposed it worked great then, less so now. It can take a night or three of becoming acclimated with our surrounds for this night watchman part of our brain to stand down.
Fortunately you can try and trick your brain into thinking you are some familiar by bringing with you some home comforts. This could be anything that works for you. I’ve found a pillow slip works great because it’s light to carry but will have a very easily recognisable texture and smell.
Accessorize, accesorize, accesorize
I have absolutely no sympathy for any business traveler who after a night in a hotel room complains of not being able to sleep because of weird noises or the room being too bright. Ok, I do have a little sympathy because I’ve been there. But people, come on! Have you not thought of carrying some earplugs and an eye mask?
Yep, earplugs and an eye mask. It’s not exactly cutting edge technology is it? These two little sleep aids have been around since before your mom’s mom was a girl. They cost virtually nothing and they weight virtually nothing, yet they are priceless when it comes to getting some much-needed shuteye in a noisy and bright hotel room.
If you sleep with sleep aids at home then definitely bring them on the road. You might feel a little bit silly carrying a white noise generator with you on a business trip but you definitely shouldn’t. Sleep is the single greatest natural performance enhancer known to humankind, you should be doing everything in your power to make sure you get as much as possible.
Plus, if your white noise generator is too cumbersome to travel with, it might be time to get a new one, or maybe just download the an app on your phone to do the equivalent job.
Don’t break your routine
The human body absolutely adores routine. We are after all creatures of habit. This is most true when it comes to sleep. Bedtimes are definitely not just for kids. The more consistent you keep your bedtime the quicker you will drift off and the better you will sleep.
Not only that but having a familiar pre-bed wind down routine will help your body and mind recognise sleep is on the horizon and they will begin to prepare for it. The experts over at the https://www.sleepadvisor.org blog talk about this all the time.
Having a set of easily replicable low-stimulation set of activities can do wonders. This can be as easy as a gently 15 minute yoga session, showering, washing and brushing your hair, writing for 5 minutes in your journal, reading a chapter of your book.
Now, I know while traveling for work it’s not always possible to do everything you can at home but where possible you should.
Well, there you have it my wandering business warriors – three tops tips for getting better rest on the road. Just think, the better rested you are the better your performance will be. The better your performance the quicker you will be promoted and the sooner you’ll be able to send a minion on trips in your place.
