Travel is a fantastic adventure. It is always a fun and amazing experience.
However, travellers tend to focus more on the beneficial things and the unfavourable effects are ignored.
What if undesirable circumstances occur like feeling unusual tiredness or excessive sleepiness? Some Canadian mattress experts say it comes down to what surface you’re sleeping on, but others believe there is much more to it.
Sleep is primarily essential to our health. It is a key to better productivity and concentration. You would not want your vacation to turn sour because you are too sleepy. Surely, you need a sufficient amount of energy to survive each day of exploring the fabulous attractions of your destination.
How then does traveling affect your sleep?
The primary concern of travelers is lack of sleep because of these factors:
Travel Fatigue
Science states that traveling is somewhat tiring. Thus, travel fatigue is not something that you can avoid. You feel exhausted after many days of excitement on the road along with some travel stresses. You feel burnt-out thus; you wanted to take a break to bring your enthusiasm back. From these issues, the symptoms of travel fatigue are manifested.
These are few causes of traveler’s fatigue:
- Long-distance travel
- Being on ‘alert’ and constant worrying
- Stress and anxiety concerning issues that occur during travel
- Dehydration due to breathable air regulation on airplane cabins
- Feeling disengaged
- Mental exhaustion
- Sleepless nights
- Tight schedules
- Lack of proper planning and control
Jet Lag
Jet lag occurs when you fly across one or more time zones or when your sleep is disrupted. They call it a temporary sleep disorder. This happens because your body clock remained synchronized with your original time zone.
You may be faced with jet lag symptoms such as:
- daytime sleepiness
- insomnia, early waking
- impaired thinking
- gastrointestinal problems
- feelings of not being well
- mood change
You can overcome jet lag by adapting quickly to your new zone, managing sleep time, drinking plenty of water, and keeping your sleeping space comfortable. What you sleep on affects how well you sleep. Medical professionals say that people who sleep on memory foam mattresses sleep faster and reduce pressure points on their bodies.
Sleep Deprivation
You can develop acute sleep deprivation as the main consequence of air travel. People who get affected by this may experience depressed moods, irritability, and a lack of energy. There will also be an impact on growth. It may cause a decrease in the growth of hormones. And it can have detrimental effects on children such as decreased height growth and poor weight gain.
Hectic travel schedules
Understand your limits. Avoid too many travel activities in one go. Slow down a bit, take breaks and let your body relax.
Uncomfortable sleep in a new environment
Having difficulty sleeping in a new place is a common situation. Neuroscientists call it a ‘first night effect’. Only half of the brain stays awake when sleeping for the first time in a new environment, according to a study. In that way, the person becomes more reactive to external causes.
Conclusion
Traveling is really fun and despite the unfavorable effects, more often than not, it can enrich your life.
Lastly, when you have the right mattresses & sleep, you will feel well-rested and obviously have a fulfilling vacation.