Why You Can’t Sleep in a New Place

A vacation is supposed to be that special time when you get away from your troubles, relax, take your mind off your day-to-day stressors, right? So why is it that so many of us have a hard time sleeping during our well-deserved vacations?
 
If you can’t sleep in a new place or on vacation, then your hyper-vigilant brain may be to blame. Fifty percent of your brain may still be alert when you are sleeping in a new location. Also, the first night might be tough one where you can’t fall asleep, whereas the second night might be a little better. A new study that was published in a journal, Current Biology, examined the way that the brain reacts to sleeping in a new location.
 

What Do Scientists Say?

Scientists hooked people up to monitors and played infrequent beeps while they were sleeping; the beeps were played in each ear. The results of the study showed that the left brain reacted more strongly when the beep played in the left ear. The people also woke up more frequently when the beep played in the left ear.
 
This same experiment was performed a second night and the results showed that both sides of the brain reacted similarly. The people also woke up less frequently. The scientists concluded that the human brain may react similarly to a bird’s brain during sleep. Birds have the ability to turn off half of their brain while asleep.
 
The human brain has two hemispheres just like the bird’s brain. Information is sent to both sides of the brain when you see or hear something. When you are in an unfamiliar environment, the left side of your brain may stay awake.
 

How Can I Fall Asleep Faster?

Nearly half of Americans have reported that they do not sleep well at night and on the bright side, there is something you can do to avoid a restless night. Whether you have insomnia or not, below are a few steps you can take that can help you get a better nights sleep.

• Wear earplugs to block out the noise around you.
• Most people sleep better in a dark environment, so using a sleep mask to block out light might do the trick and help you fall asleep.
• Stop using electronics 90 minutes before you go to bed. That means shutting off that tablet, laptop and cellphone; grab a book instead.
• A warm bath or shower right before you go to bed relaxes your body and can make it easier for you to go to sleep.
• Keep the room at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Studies have shown that people sleep better in a cool room.
• Avoid eating anything too heavy before going to bed.

 
Sweet dreams!