A global study commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts finds that a lack of sleep is a primary concern for travelers, with 4 in 5 (80%) stating they have trouble sleeping when traveling away from home.
The findings from the survey revealed:
- The business traveler loses around 58 minutes of sleep each night when staying away from home, averaging just 5 hours and 17 minutes of sleep
- The biggest causes of a restless night’s sleep for those traveling are:
Different environment (44%)
Unfamiliar noises (35%)
Working late (35%)
Steven W. Lockley, PhD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and advisor to Healthe, says in a release, “It’s no secret that traveling can be challenging for our health, particularly when it comes to maintaining our normal sleep patterns. Light is the major environmental time cue that resets the circadian clock in our brains each day, which is easily thrown off when traveling.”
Over two thirds (67%) of those surveyed stated they feel more tired when they are away from home. To aid sleep, nearly a half either try listening to music (47%) or watching TV (45%) to try and fall asleep. To help travelers combat a restless night away from home, IHG has piloted the use of portable and versatile JOURNI Mobile Task Light. Developed by Healthe by Lighting Science, the portable, the LED task light is designed to help regulate sleep when traveling.
Lockley continues, “Light can also be a stimulant, directly alerting the brain, or promote sleep before bedtime, depending on the spectrum and intensity of light exposure. Having greater control of light exposure when traveling can help promote sleep at the right time or wake at the right time, preserving some sense of sleep normalcy when on the road.”
