How to Beat the Hotel Sleep Blues

WASHINGTON - Have you ever had a hard time falling sleep? Probably.

Is it worse when you're on the road for business or on vacation? You're not alone.

"You go into this new environment and your dog isn't barking, your air conditioner isn't turning on, so you don't sleep real well," says Dr. Michael Breus, clinical director of soundsleepsolutions.com. "There's actually a technical name for not being able to fall asleep in a weird place. It's called the 'first night effect.'"

Dr. Breus has put together a pamphlet and a sleep kit for Crowne Plaza hotel guests to help them get a better night's sleep.

If you're having trouble sleeping, he says you need to ask yourself some questions.

"When you lie down, what happens? Does your mind race with thoughts? Do you have a hard time turning your mind off? Do you worry about whether or not you're going to get a good night's sleep?"

To counter all of those racing thoughts, he suggests counting count backward from 300 by threes. It will distract your mind long enough to fall asleep. Plus it's boring.

At home forget housework. It will get your brain thinking. And forget firing up the laptop if you can't sleep.

"Even the light from a laptop can actually affect your biological clock," he says.

Instead, try stretching or meditation or anything else you can do in the dark.

In hotels, he says there are some other things that may help. Wear eye shades and earplugs. Take a hot shower. Clip the curtains to eliminate that seemingly ever-present gap. Plug in a night light. Listen to a relaxing CD.

"The smell of lavender can help you fall asleep," Dr. Breus says.

Use lavender spray, not lavender candles because you don't want to risk a fire.

As for alcoholic drinks, he says you need to remember that drinking alcohol before you sleep will keep you from the deep stages of sleep while dehydrating you at the same time -- and it will make you have to get up and go to the bathroom.

Travelers also can lessen the impact of jet lag by scheduling your flights when you normally would sleep, especially if you are traveling to the east.

"If you're traveling in an easterly direction, you're going to have greater effects of jet lag than if you're traveling in a westerly direction," Dr. Breus says.

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