Have trouble sleeping in a new place? Most do because of the first-night effect
Sleep specialists say the first-night effect is common and can cut rest by 20 to 30 minutes, leaving travelers lighter and more alert.
- Traveling for work, Robinson Leoni consistently finds he sleeps less in new environments, a phenomenon known as the first-night effect. People typically sleep about 20 to 30 minutes less in unfamiliar places compared to their own beds.
- Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, explains this phenomenon likely has evolutionary roots. The sleeping brain remains vigilant in unfamiliar environments as an adaptation response to perceived dangers.
- Research by Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, reveals the brain's frontal lobe remains active during sleep, indicating alertness. "Part of the brain is awake when you are sleeping," Mayeli said.
- Anxiety often creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where worry about sleeping keeps travelers awake. Leoni acknowledged he sometimes anticipates sleep issues, noting, "Sometimes the thoughts come automatically."
- To improve sleep, Lisa Strauss recommends establishing sleep hygiene practices like maintaining a cool, dark room. Mayeli adds, "If tomorrow matters, get there a night early," so travelers sleep well when it counts.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Many people sleep shorter and worse than usual on their first night in a new place, and experts call this pattern the first-night effect. Researchers say it's a normal reaction of the brain to an unfamiliar environment. Robinson Leoni says this happens to him regularly when he travels for work. He sleeps an average of seven hours at home, while his smartwatch on his first night away from home, regardless of the quality of the bed or earplugs, sh…
Trouble sleeping in a new place? You’re not alone—it’s called the first-night effect
The first night in a new place is always the same for Robinson Leoni: He takes longer to fall asleep, wakes up more often during the night and gets less sleep overall.At home he averages seven hours. The first night away — with or without earplugs and regardless of the bed’s quality — his smartwatch tells him he gets about five.“I feel normal, you know, no stress, nothing, but it’s just I notice I wake up continuously,” said Leoni, a sales direc…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
