Sleeping Issues – Travel Impacts

This post builds upon a summary of sleeping issues, and a sound / noise issues post that I authored awhile ago.  This post is focused on how travel has impacted my sleep quality historically, and offers up 17 hacks aimed at improving travel impact on sleeping patterns.

 

My sleep is less than world class historically, and while it is improving – I’m continuing to pursue various fixes spanning a number of areas that are hurting my sleep quality.
My career in the past decade, and increasingly my lifestyle in general, has me traveling, a lot.

The travel for my career typically has me landing in a few regular metro areas here in the US with an occasional international trip – the last being to China. Beyond my career-related travel – I nearly exclusively travel domestically to new spots that my career-related travel does not.

The variability in the ‘sleep setting’ has definitely contributed towards some specific issues prior to the actual trip, certainly during the trip, and many times even after returning home to my own bed.

 

Prior to Travel
This is usually constrained to the night prior to the actual trip. The night prior typically is one of reduced sleep time – largely to my wanting to cram as much as is possible into the day prior to the trip.

 

From packing things, to finishing off the plan for the actual trip at a more detailed level, to connecting with those closest to me right up until many times – the last possible minute – my sleep time is getting crushed. This of course leaves me in a bit of a sleep deprived state many times – even before the trip starts. The after effects are typically felt the following morning.

 

During the Trip
This is the guts of the sleep deprivation that I get nailed with – every trip.

I’m a 90% Starwood/Marriott traveling type. The reliability of the beds at certain brands is what I seek out as much as the proximity to a gym and a Dunkin Donuts (for the iced coffee, not the food).

Settling in on a select set of brands has helped in ensuring the beds are actually decent for sleeping. The in-room consistency is also key here. Ever been stuck in a hotel room that has that old in room heater/AC unit just knocking on and off all night? Those things can be brutal. Also, that first night in the room is one of being beat up pretty well from the day of travel. Many times, I’ll arrive ‘hot’ to the office and hit it hard – typically running much longer than the typical workday for those in that office.

Additionally, when I’m traveling outside of my corporate travel – I largely stick to the same brands for any extended stays. There are the occasional Air BnB stops, although those tend to be the trips that are shorter in duration. When adventuring – the sleep on the trip is typically on the lower end of my usual range so the in room setting and bedding are not as important as the base location of the Air BnB.

 

After the Trip
The first night home is one of relief, as I absolutely love my current setup at home. Many times that first night back is also reduced in terms of sleep duration, as I am in ‘catch up’ mode with my in home responsibilities and spending time with those closest to me.  While the amount of actual sleep is reduced during this first night back, the quality is almost always – through the roof – given my own bedroom setup.  This is consistent across both my career and non-career related travel. Things are very full for me when I arrive home.

So I’ve solved a few of these elements over the years, and there is still plenty of room for improvement.

 

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Here’s a breakdown on some real world / actionable steps that you can take to minimize the impact that travel can do to hurt your chances of a good night’s sleep.

 

Prior to Travel

• Outbound Flights – I’ve learned to schedule my outbound flights a little later than first thing at 5am or 6am. These early flights are awesome for a return home, but outbound this early creates unnecessary pressure on multiple fronts. Not to mention – my tendency to be up late the night before really amplifies the ass kicking that these early flights deliver. Now these are the exception, not the norm.
• Nightly Routine – I’ll expound on the nightly routine that I’ve developed, let’s just say that it has introduced a level of assurance on the upcoming day that I did not have previously when racking my brain the night prior to the outbound flight.
• Pack – No shit, right?  There were many mornings where I’d do the packing the day of travel.  Now I have all of my clothes packed and those that I am going to wear laid out.
• Toiletries – I have travel toiletries and ‘home game’ toiletries that do not travel.  The only item that plays both away and home games is my toothbrush.  And yeah, I’ve managed to forget that thing a few times both at home and at the destination.  Probably a hack waiting to happen here…
• 5 Hours – My average sleep duration in 2017 was about 5 hours, and the night prior I’ve committed to getting at least that much sleep.
• Diet – No eating after midnight.  This is sometimes to adhere to, although when I do stick to it – I get much better quality sleep.  I hydrate like crazy.

 

During Travel

• Wake Up Call – When my alarm goes off, I get my ass out of bed.  Many times there are a slew of reasons that are very convincing that I must stay in that warm bed.  I turn that noise off and get my feet on the floor.  Once my feet are on the marble, I know I cannot turn back.
• Cat Naps – I get a nap in on every single flight.  You know that time when they say to turn off large electronics and then the small electronics – I actually listen,  unlike many other travelers.  I pop on my noise canceling gear and set an alarm for 30 minutes.  This window is usually dead time, unless you are doing something that is analog.  For me, I’ve trained myself to pass out hard during this window.  I pop up, truly refreshed, and ready to crank for the rest of the flight and day.
• No Alcohol and No Late Meals – Alcohol is typical thing on business trips, and I’ve had my fair share of wine and beer over the years at some incredible meals.  Now I recognize the price of this – especially on the road. That first night is a hard no on any booze and late meals.  if the trip is extended in nature, I may have a drink and a later meal on one of the nights, and it is rare now.
• Cardio and Weights Sandwich – I’ve developed an unreal habit that just works.  The first night I’m in town – I will do at least 30 minutes of light cardio, many times I’ll go for a full hour – regardless of my arrival time.  This resets things for me, and truly wears me out.  During this time on the treadmill or step master – I’m clearing out follow ups via my OmniFocus and other elements of my workflow.  I catch up on email, and I’ve got the tunes cranked in my ears while doing the iPad huckle buck on the treadmill.  The next morning, I get up – early in the current timezone and get my ass into the gym to lift.  I typically hit it as a midrange lifting session, not the usual intensity levels.  This resets me again into the new time zone, and my batteries get naturally charged with the 30 minute lifting session.
• First morning schedule – I’ve now developed a habit on that first morning where I’ll have the lift, then a big breakfast that is fresh – not some egg mcmuffin, and then get into the office by 9am local.  This has proven to be an awesome practice as it gives me flexibility if things are in escalation mode – as I have the space readied to handle it on the calendar.  It has also enabled me to hit the office in a very calm and controlled manner – knowing exactly how the day will go in relation to my key 3 deliverables for that day.
• Morning Routine – I keep the same routine that I have at home with a slight modification or two for being on the road.  This consistency of habit has transformed my in trip productivity, even if I’m tired – I do the same routine.  There will be a post about morning and night time routines.
• Return Flights – I will schedule the return either exceptionally and unreasonably early – ideally 6am OR I will ensure that I’m home the final night by 8pm my time – to ensure that I have space to get settled back in at home.
• Home Front Concerns – I used to have ongoing concerns about my home when I was away.  Now I have a perimeter camera setup along with an in home automation framework increasingly being built out.  I have two Nest units in place, which are just fantastic as I can remotely adjust things – from opening the door to managing the temperature.

 

After the Trip

• When I Land – I power up my Nest units and get the temperatures preset as if I were home – so that when finish my drive home – things are as when I left.  These Nest units are among my most favorite hacks in all DOLs.
• First Night Back – I have already planned how my return night is going to go before I ever get on the plane.  I know what I’ll be doing and with whom upon my return.  Certainty has helped in fueling my sleep upon my return.
• Nighttime Routine Plus – I have an added element or two that I typically employ when I get home that many times enhances the quality of the sleep that I have.  It is all natural and does not involve drugs/vitamins.  I’ll dig into this on a future night time routine post.  My morning routine also sets the table very nicely for my return to my bedroom, so it is already inviting for sleep when I get back.

 

So there are 17 real world solutions I’ve employed to reduce the travel impact on my sleep. A few of these warrant their own posts in the future – particularly the things I’ve routinized. Routines, diet, and exercise have been the breakthroughs on hammering down the friction on this topic – simple, straightforward tactics that have helped.