One of the true joys of a holiday is settling into a little siesta, a slumber, feeling the heat beating down onto your back while you listen to the gentle waves of the sea and the seagulls that somehow aren’t as annoying as they are at home. There’s nothing like it. It’s a kind of peace that you just can’t get as easily at home.
This is especially true for Brits with poor sleeping habits. According to research done by Direct Line Group, 1 in 7 Brits gets less than five hours sleep a night which is ‘dangerously poor sleep’ according to experts.
This is why many people are flocking to do the new travel trend, ‘sleep tourism’.
What is sleep tourism?
Speaking to Conde Naste Traveller, Jules Perowne, CEO and founder of Perowne International said: “It is no longer enough for a hotel to just offer wellness on the side; they need to embrace it by offering a more holistic approach to wellness, with a specific goal in mind – and the most in-demand goal currently is improved and enhanced sleep.”
Basically, travellers are hoping for a sleep retreat.
Hotels that focus on providing a great place to sleep for tourists don’t just provide comfortable bedrooms. They offer full wellness experiences. One example based in London offers a two hour sleep treatment, 60 minute CBD facials or massages, yoga, meditation, and personalised sleep amenities as well as ‘sleep boxes’ filled with pillow spray, bath & body oil and sleep supplements.
The dream. Pun very much intended.
Others offer weighted blankets for bedrooms, pillow menus to suit whatever kind of way that you sleep, whether it’s on your back or side as well as sleep meditation provided by registered hypnotherapists and sleep experts.
Why is sleep tourism suddenly popular?
Well, according to Dr. Rebecca Robbins, a sleep researcher who spoke to CNN about sleep tourism, this has risen in popularity due to the Covid-19 pandemic:
“People often associate travel with decadent meals, extending their bed times, the attractions and the things you do while you’re travelling, really almost at the cost of sleep.
“Now, I think there’s just been a huge seismic shift in our collective awareness and prioritisation of wellness and well being.”
This makes sense given that the Covid-19 pandemic changed how many people slept with 50% of respondents to a UK-based study into sleeping habits during this period admitting that their sleep had been more disturbed than usual.
How to sleep better at home
While we’d all prefer to stay on holiday, being away has benefits that can’t be brought home and this is especially true if you’re booking a sleep retreat so, how do we keep those good vibes going?
Well, the NHS recommends that for a good, restful sleep, you should:
- Have a sleep routine including going to bed and getting up at the same times every day, even at weekends (sorry)
- Avoid electronic devices for at least an hour before bed and try some guided meditation, listening to soft music, or reading
- Write a list of your worries into a to-do list for the next day so that they don’t keep you awake through the night
- Sleep in a dark, cool room with earphones if they help and if not, try ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music, or white noise
- If you can’t get to sleep, get back up and do something relaxing like reading or listening to quiet music. Only go back to bed when you feel sleepier
- Have a good diet and exercise habits and avoid stimulants 1-2 hours before bed.
Brb, we’re going to get cosy.