There are many resources available on vacation travel tips, but one thing that can definitely ruin your vacation is poor sleep. You may never think you’ll have a sleep problem until it happens, and by then it will be too late. Aside from the various stresses of travel, including delayed flights, lost luggage, or traveling with kids, the last thing you need is to lie in your hotel bed and start tossing and turning. If you’re a poor sleeper to begin with, and especially if you normally can’t sleep on your back, the following travel tips could keep your vacation from turning into a disaster.

Tip #1. keep your nose clear. If you have a history of ear or sinus discomfort while flying, or if you have any nasal congestion due to allergies or colds, take preventative steps to open your nasal airways and avoid ear, nose, or sinus problems sinuses that can follow you get up at night. Your ears and sinuses are connected to your nose through very narrow passages. If you have any type of nasal congestion or swelling, these passageways can become narrower and the rapid changes in pressure during your flight (usually descending) can further aggravate the swelling and partial blockage of your sinuses or ears.

The easiest way to prevent ear, nose, and sinus problems in flight is to decongest your nose using generous amounts of nasal saline (which is a mild decongestant) or over-the-counter decongestants, such as Sudafed tablets or Afrin nasal spray. If you have high blood pressure or are sensitive to Sudafed, it’s not a good idea to take it. Afrin, on the other hand, can only be used for 2-3 days if you have persistent ear fullness after the flight. For most people, taking a decongestant mid-flight (before landing) should do the trick. There are several marketed ear “plugs” for flying. They can be useful for some people; if it works, keep using them.

Now that you’ve gotten off the plane safely and without any problems, you finally arrive at your hotel at 9 pm and check in. You are very hungry and stop by the restaurant for a sandwich. Bad move.

Tip #2: Don’t eat before bed. Eating late before bed, on vacation or at home, is the most common habit that could ruin a good night’s sleep. On vacation, it’s tempting to eat later or binge at a great restaurant, but you’ll pay for it that night. For many people, if you have food in your stomach when you lie down, some of the stomach juices can regurgitate up your throat, causing irritation and inflammation. This can wake you up more often, decreasing the quality of deep sleep. The general rule of thumb is to eat your last meal 3-4 hours before bedtime. This also means no snacks before bed.

It could also make you gain weight, as any amount of inefficient sleep can make you gain weight. It has been proven in many studies that hormonally, sleep deprived people experience hormonal changes that promote weight gain and increase appetite, mainly for fatty foods or sweets.

You’ve stopped snacking late at night, and so far so good. She arranges to meet her old friend at the hotel bar, but the earliest they can meet is 10 pm The two meet and decide to have a glass of wine. As she takes her first sip, she remembers the newspaper article that reported that red wine has an ingredient that could keep you young. Afterward, you return to your room to meet your wife and go to bed. The next morning, for some reason, you feel like you only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep. What happened?

Tip #3: Avoid alcohol before bed. There are numerous studies touting the beneficial health effects of red wines. But one aspect of red wine, and all other forms of alcohol, that could be detrimental to your health is its relaxing effects on the muscles in your throat. If you already have slightly narrowed upper airway passages (like most people), sleeping on your back can cause a slight backward tongue collapse. But when you add deep sleep, since every muscle in your body relaxes the most, adding alcohol can push you over the edge and make you stop breathing. You can wake up unconsciously or wake up completely.

I think you’ll agree with me that stopping your breathing and depriving your brain and body of oxygen, along with sleep deprivation, is far more detrimental than any potential theoretical benefits of red wine. The bottom line is that you should avoid drinking alcohol 3 to 4 hours before bed.

Tip #4: Bring your own pillow. He has stopped eating and drinking alcohol until late at night and is ready to go to sleep. You go to sleep, but something doesn’t feel right. After a few minutes of tossing and turning and fluffing the pillow, you realize what the problem is: you miss your own pillow. Yours is much firmer and the hotel pillow is too soft. Thinking about your pillow is not something most people consider before taking a trip. You may not bring your own mattress, but you may bring your own pillow, space permitting.

Don’t wait until you’re ready for bed to discover that your hotel pillow isn’t “perfect.” When you first arrive in your room, after unpacking, try out your pillow. If you don’t feel well, ask the concierge for a different type of pillow. Some may even have the contoured memory foam pillow that I like, and some Asian travelers may prefer a roll-shaped buckwheat-filled pillow.

If you like to sleep on your back and feel less rested in the morning, try sleeping on your side. If that’s not possible, experiment with the rolled pillow I mentioned earlier, or roll up a towel until it’s just the right thickness. The reason this can help you sleep is that when your head is slightly tilted back when you sleep (as opposed to softer down pillows that end up bending your head forward), the space behind your tongue opens up significantly , avoiding frequent awakenings at night.

Tip #5: Don’t sleep late. When you’re on vacation, it’s tempting to stay up late and sleep in the morning. RESIST THE URGENCY. I’ve already covered in the last few lessons why it’s important not to eat late and why you should go to bed at a reasonable hour to allow for your normal sleep duration. If you go to bed late and get up later in the morning, you have changed your sleep clock, which will make you want to go to bed later. Once you are back home, along with the time change of the time zone change, you will be affected twice: the time zone change and the time change of sleep (see the attached article on time changes). That’s why it’s so hard to do anything when you go back to work.

To get the most out of your vacation, plan your sleep accordingly so you can maximize your fun during waking hours. Spend time outside in the sun, walk, jog, bike, swim and relax! If possible, remember to give yourself a day or two to relax after you return before going back to work.

Even if you don’t experience any problems during your trip, many ear and sinus problems occur AFTER your return trip, usually aggravated by the return flight. You had a great vacation, but now you pay for it when you get home. If you had followed my advice during your vacation, you would not have to go to the doctor for your ear problem.