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10-20-2015 | 07:17 PM

#31

MaxThrustPower

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: Aug 2014

Posts: 104

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Quote:

Originally Posted by duhcopilot

things that benefit me:
-no caffeine after noon
-at least 20 min of cardio or a brisk walk
-cooler room temps **65-68 degrees seems to be best**
-no tv or computers/iPhones 1 hr prior
-finish dinner 2 hrs prior
-herbal sleep aids, especially valerian root based **Great tip
... -no melatonin or ____ PM drugs (I sometimes use melatonin on the road but moreso at home to get caught back up after a tiring trip when I don't have to be up at a certain time.
-no red meat or big meals late in the evening

If you're having trouble sleeping ... THIS ^^^^ is great advice. (Note my changes above.) Most of this is often quoted in sleep advice articles.

There was other good advice such as trying to bid similar schedules to avoid circadian rhythm changes.

Something that wasn't mentioned that bothers me a lot is NOISE in the hotel, especially if I have to get up early and everyone else is still awake. Someone mentioned ear plugs but I'm not comfortable using them because I'm afraid I might miss my alarm the next morning. I started using "white noise" (background noise) machines and found there are FREE apps for both the i-Phone and Android software. The one I use that does a LOT and seems to have the best following is "White Noise Free". There are lots of different sounds you can choose from and this app also doubles as an alarm clock. It will gently shift the background noise to a waking noise of your choice at your wake-up time. You can also set the screen to a digital clock and adjust both the color and intensity of the display. It does use a lot of battery if you run it all night so I leave it plugged in on my nightstand. I even use it at home now! These apps won't cover up all the noise but they even it out enough that it often doesn't wake me now. And I think the soothing noise also helps lull your brain wave activity into a restful state.

Another tip is make sure the room is as dark as possible. If light is coming from under your door, use a towel to block it. If light is coming through the window drapes, using the "clip" pants hangers to pull them shut usually works well. I've sometimes also propped the hotel information binder up against the bottom of some curtains to push them up against the window tighter. I've had rooms where I had to cover up lights on the tv, microwave, or clock radio by turning them or covering them with a hand towel. Whatever it takes.

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