When I recall the times that I’ve had to spend a night in a hotel, one thing stands out, the fact that I struggled a lot to get some shut-eye. I’m not alone in this, a lot of people have been in a similar situation. Some factors come into play if we are to get a good night’s rest such as the mattress quality, our sleeping position, and our overall preparation for going to sleep. Getting the perfect mattress takes more than just going to a store and getting one, you need to do some research such as checking out the try mattress source to get mattress reviews and other facts that you need to know.
So, what happens when we sleep in hotels? What makes it so hard for us to sleep well?
The First Night Effect (FNE)
The First Night Effect or FNE is a condition that prevents us from sleeping well whenever we get to new surroundings. Unconsciously, when we’re in a new environment, the left side of our brain stays alert. Therefore, we remain partly awake. This is what causes all the restlessness. Although you may be sleeping, your mind stays sharp in preparation for any danger that may come about. This happens not just when we get to the hotel room but also whenever we move to a new environment. We all need to make some adjustments before we can comfortably sleep through the night.
It’s challenging to grasp the concept of how we can sleep with half of the brain alert, but it’s very doable. In fact, it is a way of life for some animal species such as some birds and dolphins. Birds may shut down their brains but remain with one eye open to stay alert and send signals to the active hemisphere should trouble to arise.
Animals can comfortably do it, but humans aren’t wired to sleep that way. This might explain why we can’t rest well in a hotel bed. However, there are some exceptions, like parents with a newborn being able to react to the slightest sounds!
Your Sleeping Style vs. The Mattress
A good night’s rest all boils down to how well the mattress adjusts to your sleeping position. One of the qualities we look for while purchasing a mattress is its ability to conform to our body shape and weight.
The hotel bed may be comfy but sometimes doesn’t compliment your sleeping style. Therefore you often end up tossing and turning throughout the night because you’re straining different points on your body.
However, you can work your way around this challenge by using the many pillows available for creating support. A word of caution, however, is that you don’t want to strain yourself even further. Put pillows at the correct pressure points. Otherwise, you could be just making it worse!
Whenever we get to a new environment, we will need some time to adjust, not just regarding sleep, but food, social life and other factors. To unconsciously protect ourselves from danger under such some circumstances, our brain has been wired to respond to such. So, it’s probably not jet lag that’s causing you not to sleep well, but it’s your body staying alert for your protection!
This is totally me! Glad to hear I’m not alone, aha. Usually sleep poorly the first night, but well after that,