I am overseas on a work trip and I just cannot sleep. Like AT ALL. WTF am I supposed to do?

[ThroughTheRedDoor]

I am abroad with 2 colleagues i don't know very well. In a fancy hotel. I am delivering some presentations at an international conference.

I got here on Sunday night after an 8 hour flight. I had 3 hours sleep the first night. I had to have nap in the middle of Monday (wasn't presenting) for an hour and got about 5 hours on Monday night. I slept for 3 hours last night. Have come back from the conference, having done the first presentation. Thought I'd have a cat nap before we meet for dinner. I can't get off to sleep.

I am here until Saturday. Time difference is minimal (4 hours ahead here). I have a full day of work on Friday.

I am recovering from a nasty cold but just have the cough left. Could it be that? I am starting to panic. Which I am aware will not be helping.

I am starting to think i will never sleep again. Whats going on? And what on earth do I do? Help!

I have a foolproof method when I can’t sleep. I try to think of lists of things that are boring eg name all the US states. Everytime my mind wanders I go back to the beginning. I guarantee I never make it to the end.

Yoga Nidra is the dogs bollocks

I listen to a practitioner called Natalie Moon yoga. I’m gone in the first 10 minutes.

Sorry what - this is literally the highlight of my working day!

I find it hard to sleep when away. I have to listen to audiobooks on low to get me to sleep.

Also reduce caffeine. I once ate a tiramisu and it kept me up for 30 hours before a big presentation. It must have had 20 espresso shots in it!

Can you find any episodes of Frasier on YouTube? I always find Kelsey Grammer's voice instantly soporific 😴

I can’t sleep a wink when I have been unwell. It happened to me last week and I had a couple of hours over 3 days. Apparently your brain is in flight mode.

Without wishing to undermine your concerns you will be absolutely fine. Junior Doctors have survived on miniscule amounts of sleep. As a police officer I regularly worked 7 nights in a row and then had to do a quick change over and be back in at 2pm after finishing at 06.00am that morning ( with an hours commute). I’ve worked 24hours straight, had 3 hours sleep and then did 24 hours again. Tell yourself you’ll be fine. Accept the tiredness … you can operate tired and you’ll motor through.

Feck it. UAE.

Been there, done that.

Honestly, you'll be fine. Don't stress. If you're not a pilot or a neurosurgeon a lack of sleep won't impair your job performance. Adrenaline will kick in and get you through.

In the meantime, take a shower and get in bed and listen to an audiobook that's somewhat engaging but not suspenseful. Don't stress. The odds are pretty good you'll drift off.

Are you too hot? I often find hotel duvets are crazily warm, which can make it hard to sleep.

As others have suggested, try putting on a mindfulness track and meditating. I can’t sleep if I’m leading a school trip as I get so anxious. I did this last time (including lying in the savasana yoga pose) and could thankfully function the next day despite only properly sleeping for about an hour.

The main thing is that you’re getting some rest, so lie down and listen to a podcast Or an audio book. Preferably someone with a calming voice - tell yourself it doesn’t matter if you don’t sleep, as long as you lie down and relax. I always drop off within half an hour max.

I was going to say that if you were in the States, you could try legal dispensaries for help. Obviously not applicable now.

Forget trying to nap. Go for dinner, then go to bed normally. The cat naps probably aren't helping. Let yourself get tired and sleep naturally.

You don't need to catch up on sleep. It's not a thing. You can function on 3hrs. Stop over thinking it and you will fall asleep

Is there a pool? I always have a late swim when I'm travelling for work and the timezone is out. If there is a sauna or steam room even better. Carbs for dinner.

If you're at a conference you might not be getting enough light in the day. Walk around outside after breakfast and at lunch

You'll survive. I've done work trips on very minimal sleep, usually falling asleep the second the plane takes off.

Avoid caffeine like the plague, and do try to get some exercise in the fresh air. If you're out there it will probably have to be early morning though, or you'll fry.

If you can get hold of some Piriton, take one about an hour before you go to bed.

Hi there this advice might be a little too late but just wanted to tell you some things that I do when I have a similar situation

Melatonin is great, personally I think it's more of a psychosomatic response rather than physical at least for me anyway, you expect it to work and make you sleepy so it does make you sleepy.
I've never had any luck with for instance a nice big turkey sandwich followed by a nice big glass of warm milk even though those do contain biological compounds which are supposed to help make you sleepy. Ditto I've never had a lot of look with chamomile tea or other light sedatives like that.
However, a night time cold medication tab, that has helped. A lot. Definitely not something you want to take often because you don't want to lead to being dependent, but sometimes just getting a good sleep, hey, doesn't have to be a cold pill it can be a sleeping pill, sometimes it's just to get you over the hump.

Doesn't hurt to hit the pool if it's still open late at night, or the gym which often is open 24 hours at the hotels. Physical exercise is always good. You may not drop right to sleep but it definitely helps.

I like a hot bath just before bed then a really cool bedroom, like for me, about 13°, and I love to have heavy blankets both of those things really helps me to sleep better.

Earplugs help surprisingly well, especially when I'm on the road in a hotel room, every last little sound wakes me up because I'm on high alert even though I'm not trying to be. This is because subconsciously I'm always listening out for something at the window, something at the door, or a fire alarm. Little noises tend to wake me up quickly Even a innocent but unfamiliar noise like the mini fridge in the room kicking in.

Hope this helps, and I hope you sleep well

I slept!

A proper decent sleep for a good 6 hours. I feel so much better!

The whole do not fall asleep thing worked a treat. I'm like a new woman.

@blobby10 Thank you! And to everyone else for either sympathising and offering ideas or straight talking with me!

Thank God! If you want melatonin I. iAE btw you çan usually get it in a pharmacy or via Amazon

Another very broken nights sleep! Ill be doing more international travel in future so I am going to have to find a way to deal with this aren't I? I am going to go home completely shattered. Of all the things I thought about before the trip, this wasn't one of them!

Sorry to hear you are still struggling.

I think people cope in different ways but as some pps have mentioned fretting about lack of sleep or worrying about not getting to sleep is a sleep killer.

It might be best to accept that when on your travels you might well have to power through the day after a short night/broken night of sleep..then a solid seven or eight hour block of ZZZsss comes as a nice surprise.

My trick tor getting to sleep sounds counterproductive but does work. In my head, I list all the animals I can think of that start with A. Then B, C etc. I 'say' the word on my exhale. I rarely get past B!

The best thing you can do is make a decision that if you can't sleep you will make sure that you are in deep rest. Go onto insight timer and search for sleep tracks. There are tons of guided meditations, stories, music there. Yoga nidras are particularly good. Find one you like. If you are still awake when it ends, find another. Even if you didn't sleep at all, deep rest is pretty good and you will feel much better for it.

@notimagain you are so right. Its the fretting. Which i know! Which is a double whammy. I tell myself not to fret. That its making it worse. Aaaaaggggghhhh! But I have delivered the big session this morning running on adrenaline and caffeine and it was fine. I'm just ready to get home now and get into my own bed!

I think I’m a bit late here but in case it helps anyone kiwi fruit is supposed to be a good pre user to melatonin.

Also are you the right temperature? I do t sleep if I’m too hot or too cold. Is the air a bit ferocious?

Pillows? Aka the hotel for different pillows if they aren’t the right height for you

I travel long haul a few times a year for work. I am definitely familiar with the shakey feeling during the first day or so but it passes - rightly or wrongly that is my cue to hit the full fat coke and some kind of snack - the sugar / carb hit gets me through the rest of the day.

Other things that help me are:

• put your watch / phone on destination time as soon as you get on the plane and never let yourself think what time it is “back home”
• never go to bed before 10pm (at a pinch 9.30) on the first couple nights
• accept that night 2 sleep is always crap (colleagues and I talk about this one regularly - we don’t know why but it is a universal truth)
• no naps - even if it’s tempting. Also don’t sleep on the flight if it’s “daytime” at your destination / if you’re landing at night time don’t sleep on the flight
• something to occupy your mind as you lie in bed trying to sleep - headspace sleepcasts are good or things like Radio 4

If going to UAE will be one of your regular trips get familiar with what the medicine rules are - a bunch of otc stuff in the UK is prohibited there.

Also (and this might just be me) conferences are brutal and I am terrible for feeling like I might nod off in sessions. For the first couple days I try not to pack my agenda and ensure that I get outside between sessions with daylight and fresh air.