Travel Sleep Aids

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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As exciting as anticipating a trip that starts off with a careful review of cheap travel options, such as cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, sleep is often elusive when away from home.

Many travelers do not want to reach for pills or alcohol when trying to encourage sleep. Sleep studies suggest that the alternative is to control what you see and hear.

The following are various sleep aids/advice that can help induce sleep on a plane or hotel:

• The Ostrich Pillow cocoons a flier’s head in a padded sack.

• The UpRight Sleeper prevents a passenger’s head from falling forward while sleeping on a plane.

• The SkyRest travel pillow has gained popularity in spite of resembling a giant inflatable cheese wedge.

• The Travel HoodiePillow is an inflatable neck pillow attached to a hoodie made of sweatshirt material in a variety of colors. Tug the drawstrings and the pillow promises “cocoonification.”

• Avoid late night meals while traveling since research shows they can disrupt sleep.

• Keep smartphones out of sight ...
... in hotel rooms since the backlight can disrupt travelers’ body clocks.

• Airsleep is an app for iPhones, iPods, and iPads that is supposed to transport the user to dreamland with the sound of rain, waves, and wind along with “dreamwave brainwave” technology that claims to alter brain wave patterns to help users relax. This app adds music, something like New Age mystics on a sand dune, to the rain, waves, and wind.

• If you prefer to nod off to sounds of nature without accompanying music, check out “Healing Sounds of Nature” CDs.

• White Noise by TMSoft is an app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that soothes listeners with ocean waves, wind, and rain, as well as unconventional sound options such as a train, vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, and purring cat. White Noise users can set shut off timers and alarms and mix multiple sounds.

• The author of the book “Get Some Headspace” offers a free 16 minute sleep podcast on his Headspace meditation app during much he talks the user through an “under the covers” mediation technique.

• Dark, snug fitting, quality eye masks block out light and can help induce sleep. Dream Essentials offers a contoured sleep mask with earplugs and a pouch. A technologically enhanced mask, called “Glo to Sleep” by Sound Oasis, is a black foam mask with small photoluminescent “points of glo” inside which is supposed to help “switch off your mind.”
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