To sleep terribly in hotels?

[Arcadia]

Why can I not sleep in hotels? The whole point of hotel rooms is that you sleep in them. I always find:

1. Too hot (or occasionally - too cold)
2. Slamming doors all night
3. Can hear conversations from other doors/corridors
4. People's bathroom fans whirring
5. Bed is usually too hard or too soft
6. I get disorientated in the night
7. Usually cramped and can't go into another room to read or prepare food to avoid disturbing who I am with so just lie there sleeplessly.

I always prefer Airbnb but then forget it have to go for wedding or similar then just lie there regretting it all night! Does anyone find the same? Am lying in a bed now hoping that it will be better than last night when I got about 4 hours broken sleep!

I used to have terrible nights in hotel bedrooms, or in fact anywhere other than my own bed ( at friends, family etc) .

However, rather bizarrely, since being perimenopausal and sleeping erratically at home I'm finding that I sleep better in hotel rooms

Arghh just as I was getting used to it and feeling more chilled some noisy people seem to have arrived in next room. Banging around, fan constantly on in bathroom, and loud conversation. Why don't hotels have sound-proofing?!

Oh and DD has been waking at 6.15am!

The first night away I am always like the princess and the pea. Can't sleep a wink no matter how comfy the bed. The second night though...Premier Inns and Novotels generally have lovely beds. It always takes me a couple of days to decompress and acclimatise when on holiday.

I love a premier inn bed and I’m another that covers up the lights where I can.

People who let kids run up and down the corridors at crack of dawn are the worst people ever. I’m often tempted to follow them home and scream at random times during the night on their landing.

Top tips for before you get into bed: ask for an empty duvet cover on arrival and sleep under that. Leave curtains open while out in the evening to let as much heat escape as possible. Cover all random red lights and clock on tv: socks, propping up menu with glasses and hanging coats from air con unit all effective light blockers. Roll up towel in front of door gap.

I do all these things now before going to bed (rather than lie awake stewing and doing them at 3am), and it’s changed my life.

The main one is don’t even bother getting under duvet. Discard straight away, and just sleep with the cover.

Eye mask and ears plugs are the way to go.

If we're ever in a hotel room I'm usually unreasonably anxious about my oldest finding the toilet at night.

First night away is always the worst. Such a crap start to the holiday when I'm so tired. 🙈

I can’t sleep, either, unless I can control room temperature (I like it utterly freezing for sleeping) or open the windows. Being wildly pissed helps, too.

DD (7) and I often ditch DH and go away by ourselves for a night to some city of interest. I love it, except I feel I am ‘ on watch’ all night. I lie there for hours reading my Kindle with DD tucked under my arm, anticipating fire alarms, my disoriented child desperately needing the loo, marauding criminals etc. Mind you, last weekend it actually paid off when some drunk bloke mistakenly tried to get into our room. Of course, after sending him off with a flea in his ear, I was properly on the prowl all night.

Do love hotels, though. No housework.

I'm awful at sleeping in unfamiliar beds but Premier Inn's kingsize beds are just perfect for me. The pillow choices, the thermostat - honestly just because I know I can get a good night's sleep there, I'd pick a Premier Inn over more swanky places. Don't want breakfast there, can go out for dinner. Go to bed in a nice cool 17 degrees room in a massive bed for £50 a night. Brilliant.

I rarely sleep well on the first night I’m somewhere new. Not great when’s you’re travelling and in a new place every few days.

Sleep essentials in these situations: eye mask (counteracts rooms that are too light), ear phones and an ambient noises app on my phone/iPad (blocks out background noises) and Nytol. Couple of tablets, noise and light blocked out = decent sleep.

I sleep perfectly well if I'm alone. If DH is next to me then I've got no chance. Hotel beds are much smaller than our massive 3 pillows wide bed at home, so I always feel like he's breathing on me, snoring right in my ear etc in hotels.

Like a PP I find the 1st night difficult. Second night I'm out like a light. Mmmmmm.

I'm dreading an upcoming conference at work where a two night hotel stay is required.

I'm not great at sleeping anywhere other than my own bed, add in the flight and having to be nice to people...it's not going to be pretty on the third morning.

1st night I agree awful, but most places I'm ok with after that.

Why does every hotel I stay in seem to be hosting the International Door Slamming championships at 2am every night?

I have found my people! I’m a light sleeper so I pack earplugs (and face mask) but even so the door slamming, bathroom fan whirring, sometimes noisy lifts in corridor drive me spare. I also block the little lights with socks, jumpers etc

golden the noisy minibars, argh! I’ve been known to unplug them before going to sleep.

Add "pillows way too soft so there's no support and you end up with a crick in your neck" to your list.

I seldom get a good night's sleep in any hotel from budget up to 4 (never tried a 5 one ).

I don't like sleeping in hotels for the fear of someone coming to get me. I always try and get a room above the first floor. Weird I know

You’re not actually meant to sleep in a hotel the first night, it’s something to do with when we lived in caves, it’s a strange cave so better not sleep in case the Sabre tooth cat eats us. I heard about a study on it and there’s a way you should sleep, might be facing the door so your kids etc are behind you. www.google.ie/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2016/04/21/an-evolutionary-reason-for-why-its-hard-to-sleep-in-hotels.html

We have a superking at home. Anything smaller and i want to kill dh. His snoring used to keep me awake. Now its a fucking cough that is a side effect of some tablets he is on. Will he mention it to the dr? Will he fuck.
On holiday now, i am sleeping in the twin room with dd10

Why does every hotel I stay in seem to be hosting the International Door Slamming championships at 2am every night?

Father which hotel were you at in HK so I can avoid later in the year?
I’m usually good on the 2nd night in a hotel but no sleep ever on the 1st.
I always ask for a higher room too...

APMom interesting article, may also explain why by contrast I always sleep really well when sleeping at friends or family's houses, even if I am on uncomfortable bed or sofa. I also sleep better at small more personal places like a B and B where you have met the owners and other guests. I think it is the thought of strangers around (not consciously).

Sleep well last night - earplugs but no eye mask needed! Home today.

Glitter, it was the Minimal Urban in Wan Chai. Ghastly. The niceish one was the Hotel Nina in Tsuen Wan. We were on the 71st floor with floor-to-ceiling windows & I had to give myself a serious talking to I was so scared I was gonna trip & fall against the window & it was gonna break & send me to a grizzly death!

I stay in hotels three weeks in four for work, some lovely, some more expensive but not so comfortable, I've realised my priority is good sound proofing, easily adjustable AC/room temperature, powerful shower and good breakfast. Premier inns (the newer refurbished ones) are actually hard to beat for this. I stayed in a beautiful country hotel this week in the West Midlands with a spa, pool, five star restaurant, but the bed was too hard, the sound proofing not good enough and the AC gurgly and ineffective, breakfast was slow and there were children running riot, tablets blaring Peppa pig and tables not being cleaned and reset, the family presence I think was due to proximity to a safari park. As a business traveller I would've rather been in the local town centre in what looked like a brand new premier Inn.