The first night in a new place can be challenging for many people, including Robinson Leoni, a sales director who travels frequently for work. He experiences the first-night effect, a phenomenon where people take longer to fall asleep, wake up more often, and get less sleep overall in an unfamiliar environment.
What is the First-Night Effect?
According to Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, the first-night effect is believed to have evolutionary roots. It’s an adaptation response where the sleeping brain remains vigilant in an unfamiliar environment. Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor and sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, notes that most people experience the first-night effect, even if they don’t notice it.
Research has shown that the frontal lobe, an area associated with the deepest stage of sleep, is more active in new environments, indicating a sense of alertness. This results in lighter, less restorative sleep. Mayeli suggests that the brain may be wired to be wary of new places because, historically, they were the most dangerous to rest.
Factors That Impact Sleep in New Environments
Lisa Strauss, a psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral treatment of sleep disorders, notes that several factors can impact sleep in new places beyond evolutionary vigilance. Travel itself can have a negative effect, even within the same time zone. Environmental factors, such as a flashing smoke alarm light in a hotel room, can also disrupt sleep. Relational tension, like visiting family members you’re not close with, can contribute to the first-night effect.
Strauss recommends general sleep hygiene practices, such as going to sleep in a cool, dark room at the same time every night, following a nighttime routine, and turning off screens well before bedtime. These practices can be especially helpful if started in the days or weeks before an important trip.
To make the environment more familiar, Strauss suggests spending extra time in the new bed, reading or doing a peaceful activity, and bringing familiar objects like a favorite pillow or blanket. For those who are particularly anxious, she recommends visualizing themselves in a safe, familiar environment, noticing their anxiety, and repeating positive phrases to lower feelings of hypervigilance.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
