SLEEP IT OFF
Sneaky way hotels are making you sleep better – including no windows and colder rooms
Plus the best sleep routine and environment
SLEEPING well in a hotel room is often not as easy as it might seem, no matter how comfy the bed is.
People get used to their own mattresses and duvets, and the slightest change to a sleep routine can keep a person up all night.
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And especially with our generation that is swamped by distractions like social media, it has become increasingly important for hoteliers to come up with ways to make guests sleep more peacefully.
Large hotel chains are now using use sneaky ways to make you sleep better - including hi-tech gadgets and science-backed therapies.
One of the ways is to create a dream bedroom setup that comes with an atmosphere tailored for a perfect goodnight's sleep.
Dr Stephani K. Robson, an expert in the psychology of hotel design, told a : " Dark, quiet and cool are the specific elements guests need for a good night’s sleep."
a perfect sleep
Hotels like Equinox in New York are now following the holy trinity to transform their bedrooms into "sleep chambers" for guests to have a deep sleep.
After attending a refreshing sleep spa session, guests can throw themselves on beds wrapped with natural linen that helps to sleep better.
And with just a press of a button, guests can change the entire room to get a perfect sleeping experience.
This includes studio-grade soundproofing, deep blackout blinds and a high-quality air purification system that ensures an optimum environment for a good sleep.
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Chris Norton, CEO of Equinox Hotels, said: "Creating an atmosphere where your best night's sleep is possible is the future of luxury hospitality.
"We have all stayed in a hotel room where there is an annoying blinking light or scratchy linens. We worked with sleep scientists to design rooms that function as ‘sleep chambers’, so sleep is built into the hardware of our rooms.";
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And then comes the room's temperature, perhaps the most important factor behind a good night's sleep.
Experts believe that the optimal room temperature for a deep shuteye is been 16-18 degrees Celsius.
And along with the perfect temperature, it is important to have a lower body temperature for quality sleep.
However, it can be really tricky for hotels to maintain such a temperature throughout without using noisy air conditioners that can hamper sleep.
But FreshBeds, a Dutch manufacturing company, seems to have cracked a way.
They make beds that circulate purified air through the mattress, without making any noise.
This allows the guests to customise their sleep environment - and maintain the right levels of temperature with moisture to ensure a perfect sleeping experience.
Another way hotels make you sleep better is by creating what is now known across the industry as sleep cocoons.
These are designated sleeping rooms that come without any source of distraction, like a TV, standby lights that hurt your eyes and any mechanical machine that could possibly create noise.
These capsule-like rooms don't even have windows to ensure distraction levels are at their lowest.
Some hotels, like Six Senses Ibiza, offer guests personalised biometric programs to help them sleep better - not only during their stay but also when they return back to their normal lives.
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The hotel offers bedrooms equipped with advanced sensors that track all your biological movements, including the time you snore, the deepest phase of your sleep, dreams and so on.
The staff of the hotel then tracks and analyses all the reports from these scannings to create tailor-fit programs that include yoga nidra, sound therapy, cryotherapy, meditation and massage
The best sleep routine and environment
Thomas Høegh Reisenhus, TEMPUR® sleep specialist & sleep counsellor, reveals the key components of a good bedtime routine and environment...
A surefire way to facilitate a better night’s sleep is to practice good sleep hygiene.
Establish a sleep routine that works for you and stick to it.
This will help your body establish a consistent, natural sleep-wake cycle which can do wonders for your overall sleep quality.
As such, try to avoid making up for lost sleep with a lie-in.
Instead of sleeping in, spend your morning reading a book in bed or having a leisurely coffee in the kitchen.
Ensure that your bedroom, bedding, and sleepwear are fit for purpose too.
The ideal sleep environment is dark, quiet, and cool – much like a cave.
If you find unwelcome sources of light are keeping you up, consider investing in an eye mask or black-out curtains.
Adding soft furnishings can be a great way to reduce noise, with the surfaces having an absorptive quality, but if this doesn’t work, consider embracing a soothing soundtrack to block it out.
In terms of temperature, try to keep your bedroom at 18°C. You can further reduce the risk of waking up due to overheating by ensuring that all your bedding and sleepwear is made with natural, breathable materials such as cotton and linen.
Bear in mind that everyone is different; what might work for most, may not work for you!
Whilst knowing how much sleep you should get, how to overcome common barriers, and practicing good sleep hygiene can facilitate a great night’s sleep, if you continue to struggle with sleep or fatigue persistently, do not hesitate to visit a doctor or health professional for support.
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