A sufficient amount of sleep and few to none disturbances are required during a business trip. If you are woken up in the middle of the night, when expecting a long day or an early morning, your productivity will inevitably be affected. Losing as little as one and a half hours for just one night can reduce daytime alertness by about one-third. Here are some pieces of advice for a better sleep when traveling.

Good support for your neck

If using the wrong pillow makes your neck or back hurt, you can ask the hotel receptionists for pillows with different levels of rigidity. Many hotels rent rooms with various pillow options and you can find a suitable one at the front desk or in guest room closets. Make sure you have optimum neck support adapted to your needs

Make your reservation carefully

A quiet room is always necessary. Here are some important aspects to consider when reserving a room:

Book a room (or ask for one at the reception) away from the elevators and on an upper floor. As simple as this looks, it can have the best consequences.

Remember that the quietest part of a floor is almost always at the midway of a hallway. Try to find a room as far away as possible from exits, utility closets, ice machines, guest laundry facilities or anything that produce constant noises.

If the hotel has the option of concierge or suite level, you can ask for a room there. These rooms are always spacious and have taller ceilings that provide more space between you and the upper guests.

Rooms facing the pool may have a nice view but try avoiding them. Pools are often used for late-night parties or meetings and the sound that echoes off of water has a very disturbing effect.

If the hotel has bars, banquet rooms or other music playing spaces, ask for a room at least two or three levels above. A thumping and pulsating bass beat can penetrate many floors.

Late Night Snack

Avoid eating too much.  Having a consistent meal before going to sleep is never a good idea as your stomach will be digesting it for the rest of the night and you won’t be able to get a good night sleep. Add stress to your stay and you can be sure of sleeping problems.

You can help induce sleep by drinking a cup of hot tea or another warm, caffeine-free beverage. A good refreshment before going to sleep is a light nightcap. A single drink can help one sleep, but excess can be harmful so make sure to be cautious.

White Noise

Choose a good way to mask outside sounds. Adding an artificial sound to your sleep environment in order to silence other noises is usually referred to as white noise. If your room isn’t equipped with a white noise machine, you can ask at the front desk to lend one. You can buy yourself a travel-size white noise machine and bring it on your trips. Other methods of producing white noise are: streaming from your laptop on a free website such as www.simplynoise.com or downloading a white noise application on your phone. You can get the same effect by turning the fan on at a low level; you should bring your own portable fan with you, just in case.

Don’t Forget About the Temperature

A hot bath is a good recreation method. It raises your body temperature, provides relaxation and helps you sleep better. The room temperature should be adjusted to your own preference. Most people sleep better in a cool environment but make sure not to go too cold, as you won’t like shivering while trying to fall asleep.

Wake-up calls should also not be neglected. If you are unfamiliar with the settings of the alarm clock, you can wake up realizing that it didn’t go off. As a backup, you can always ask the receptionists at the front desk to give you a wake-up call.

Any effort you make to help you get a good night’s sleep during your business trips is worth taking. Less stress increases your productivity. So why not minimize worries and useless problems and start enjoying your travels? You will feel better at your meetings and sleep well every single time.

Make sure you get the best accommodation services during your business travels. As important as getting a good night’s sleep is also getting good ground transportation to the hotel.

LA Corporate Sedan Transportation Service and Concierge Limousine Team will give you a ride as smooth as your sleep.

Also published on Medium.