Many people find it challenging to sleep while travelling, and that’s understandable. If you’re stressed out or moving between time zones, it’s often hard for your body to wind down and get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, if you’re not able to sleep, then it becomes nearly impossible to get that post-vacation glow when you finally return home. If you can’t rest, you’re often more tired than when you left. So what can you do to sleep better when you travel? Here’s some advice from the experts.
Use the local time rule
One of the best things you can do is use the so-called local time rule. The idea here is to set your watch to your destination’s time when you board the flight, then you can eat and sleep according to that.
So, for example, if the time in your destination is 8 a.m. but the local time is 12 p.m., then instead of eating lunch, you eat breakfast, and then when you arrive at your destination, you stay awake until it’s time to go to sleep around 9 or 10 p.m.
Optimise your sleeping environment in your hotel room
Next you’ll want to optimize the sleeping environment in your hotel room. Most hotels are pretty experienced with this so you may not have to make many modifications, however it can help. For example, you might want to take a binder clip with you to close the tiny gap in the middle of hotel curtains. This shuts them properly and prevents any street light from getting in from outside. You can also use a white noise machine to drown out hallway chatter and elevator dings during the night. Your brain naturally acclimatises to a baseline level of noise while you sleep, so additional noise is less likely to wake you.
Bring sleep aids with you
If you have any sleep aids at your cowork’s work, also bring them with you. Don’t leave them at home just because you are travelling.
These days, brands like CBDistillery offer all sorts of products you can buy. Just check that they’re allowed in your destination country. Once you have these, you can relax and unwind and adjust your circadian rhythm when moving across time zones more effectively.
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Add biohacking
If you’re still struggling to sleep better when travelling, then you might want to try a bit of biohacking. For example, you may want to avoid nightcaps. A glass of red wine in the evening might seem like the perfect way to finish off the day in Europe, but alcohol reduces REM sleep, making it more likely that you’ll wake up at 3:00 a.m. and feel restless. To beat jet lag, it’s a good idea to get 15 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight first thing in the morning. The idea here is to reset your circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin production so you don’t feel tired throughout the day. It doesn’t take much exposure, and you probably will be outside anyway if you are on holiday.
Last Updated on May 12, 2026
