Things You'll Need:
- Sleep mask
- a favorite scent
- ear plugs
- sound recorder
- night light
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Step 1
Prepare yourself before your trip. For a couple of weeks before you travel sleep with a scented pillow - lavender is especially effective because that scent promotes restful sleep. Get used to the way the pillow smells, then take it with you on your trip. Once you close your eyes the scent will remind you of your own room and bed and help you to relax.
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Step 2
If you live in an area with distinctive night sounds - crickets, night birds, traffic and sirens, seashore waves or buoy bells, or whatever lullaby your own home and neighborhood sings, you may find yourself having difficulty sleeping without those familiar sounds. Use a tape recorder, your computer, or other sound recording method to capture several hours of those sounds. Play them back later in your hotel room when you are ready to fall asleep.
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Step 3
If the problem is too much noise when you are used to a very quiet sleep environment then earplugs may be the way to go. Moldable foam earplugs can be purchased cheaply at most drugstores. If you can't sleep with earplugs in, you might consider using white noise from a CD or white noise generator to drown out other sounds. White noise sounds a little like static, or sea waves. It's an noninvasive noise that fades easily into the background but it can be very effective for covering the sounds of traffic and neighbors.
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Step 4
Use a sleep mask if your room is too bright. Studies have shown that we sleep best when we sleep in complete darkness. If you are used to sleeping in the dark, but you have neon or streetlights shinning through your motel window, you may find it difficult to drift off to sleep. You can even get sleep masks filled with lavender or other scented mixtures. One of these would do the job of both mask and the scented pillow recommended in step one.
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Step 5
If you prefer to have a little light in your room, either because you just can't sleep if it's totally dark, or just because you want to be able to navigate a strange room at night without hurting yourself or waking your partner, you might want to pack a night light. Leaving a room light on may provide too much light, or the light may come from the wrong direction. With a wide variety of night lights available you have many options to provide just the right sort of light to make your hotel room feel a little more like home.
