We all look forward to a holiday. Whether travelling to spend time with family and friends or going on an exotic trip abroad, getting plenty of rest and a good night’s sleep during and after your journey can be a challenge. So if you have trouble during these times we have some tips that will help make your vacation a time to remember bringing you back rested and rejuvenated!

Plan for Jet Lag

When most people think of travel issues, especially a long haul flight, jet lag is usually the number one culprit. But with the right planning, there is no reason why you should suffer from jet lag at all, just follow these tips:

• Keep hydrated – Drinking plenty of water before and after a flight can counteract the dry air of the aircraft cabin and even help with jet lag symptoms after landing. Avoid alcohol and hot sugary drinks on the aircraft and during your first evening as dehydration can seriously affect your ability to fall asleep at bedtime.
• Move your sleep schedule – Start to slowly and adjust your sleep cycle ahead of travelling depending on which time zone you are going to. It usually takes about 24 hours per time zone for your body to acclimatise, but you can do some of that work ahead of time by going to bed earlier on the days leading up to your journey.
• Embrace local time – The sooner you can get your internal body clock to the local time and adjust your eating schedule, the better, as encouraging your body to find its new rhythm will help shorten the time you are jet lagged or prevent it all together.

Bring a sleep kit

To make sure that your sleep during the night is as comfortable as possible, it’s worth considering packing your own personalised ‘sleep kit’.

• Blue light-blocking glasses for before bed viewing on either your mobile or television, although neither are recommended 30 minutes before sleep.
• Lavender-scented products or essential oils to help you relax.
• A set of earplugs to cut out sleep-disrupting noises such as snoring, music and chatter.
• An eye mask to prevent you waking if the sunset or sunrise is dramatically different.

Travelling comfortably

Being comfortable during sleep is important, particularly on your first night away from home. So making sure you are comfortable both during your journey and on your holiday.

• Make sure you travel in comfortable, loose fitting clothing and consider layering with a t-shirt and then a sweatshirt and jumper so that you can add or discard a garment depending on the temperature.
• Use your reclining seat whenever possible – whether on a bus, in a car or on a flight, leaning back will help both the quality and quantity of sleep you are able to get as this will help you relax.
• Bring a travel pillow – having something behind your head when you sleep will help keep your neck aligned and prevent you from falling forward.

Food and drink

What you eat and drink directly affects the quality of sleep you have during the night.

• Avoid drinking caffeine – avoiding coffee whilst you travel or when you first reach your destination may be obvious to many but there are many other types of drinks which contain caffeine including coca cola, hot chocolate, energy drinks and tea all of which can disrupt your sleep cycle and prevent you from sleeping normally.
• Don’t overeat – eating large amounts of food in one sitting can lead to bloating and constipation, which can make you too uncomfortable to fall asleep peacefully. So small meals before and during your journey plus plenty of caffeine-free fluids, especially water, will help you stay hydrated and comfortable.
• Eat balanced meals – a well-rounded diet is important for good sleep because the nutrients you receive from foods such as fruits and vegetables can impact your sleep patterns. Make sure the day before you travel, and on the journey, that you have as much fruit, vegetable and whole grains as possible. For the journey pack snacks such as nuts, dried fruit, carrot, cucumber and pepper sticks, and avoid salty snacks such as crisps and peanuts.

Keep stress to a minimum

Travel anxiety is very common with many people finding the idea of navigating large crowds, flying on a plane and additional transport connections very stressful. However, reducing and overcoming travel-induced stress is possible if you plan ahead.

• Meditation – meditation and breathing exercises are effective ways of calming your body and mind because they help relax, and it may also help you get to sleep more easily.
• Give yourself plenty of time – plan ahead, make a list of things you need to do before you leave and arrange stressful things such as transport to the airport, well ahead of the day. Pack your suitcase a few days in advance of your journey so you can check you have everything you need.

Remember planning your holiday is as important as being away. With our wellbeing tips you’ll be ready to focus on enjoying the up and coming vacation and put any travel anxiety behind you.

Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash

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Friday 17^th March is World Sleep Day when over 70 countries promote the wonderful benefits of sleep. The theme of this year’s World Sleep Day is ‘Sleep Is Essential for Health’. Sleeping well is vital for your wellbeing, and at BodyMould we understand how your mattress can help you to sleep better.

1. Has your mattress got the zzz factor?

Our BodyMould memory foam mattresses are popular because they are comfortable, supportive, and regarded as one of the healthiest ways to get a good night’s sleep. Here are the three main benefits a BodyMould memory foam mattress provides to help you sleep well.
Our memory foam mattresses provide pain relief comfort

The memory foam responds to your own body weight and heat and moulds to your shape. This reduces pressure on your spine and joints so you can experience a deep and restful sleep.

2. Our memory foam mattresses are hypoallergenic

A memory foam mattress is made from materials that are hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant, which makes them ideal if you are allergy sensitive or have respiratory problems.

3. Our memory foam mattresses isolate motion

Memory foam mattresses absorb movement, which means you will be less likely to be disturbed if you share your bed with a partner, children, or pets. A memory foam mattress is quiet and won’t creak or squeak either. These benefits are particularly important if you are light sleeper and easily woken by movement or sounds.

Read more about the benefits of buying a memory foam mattress.

Investing in a good night’s sleep is an investment in your health and wellbeing.

Our high-density memory foam moulds to your body as you sleep and provides you with personalised comfort and support. We offer BodyMould memory foam mattresses and toppers to suit everybody, so explore our range to find the best size and style for you.

At BodyMould we make everything ourselves so there’s nothing we don’t know about sleeping comfort, pressure relief and the right support. If you would like our advice on mattresses and toppers, do get in touch. Contact us online or call us on 01293 871744 and our friendly team will be happy to help.

The post Celebrate Healthy Sleep on World Sleep Day appeared first on Bodymould Mattresses.