According to a study conducted by Dorelan Research, 60.5% of those interviewed say that sleep is influenced by a change in environment
A good start is halfway there, as the popular saying goes. And this also applies to the holidays that we all dream of after months of days full of all kinds of commitments.
The first day of vacation represents the moment in which we realize that the time has come to enjoy relaxation and experience a period without stress and with commitments aimed only at fun and well-being. But then the night arrives and with it what the researchers define “First Night Effect” (FNE) , the effect of the first night away from home. A phenomenon to which we are subject due to the change in environment, bed and rest conditions which can affect the quality of sleep: the waking state alternates with a state of light sleep. A widespread phenomenon that offers fertile ground for anxiety and negative thoughts and an important health issue on which Dorelan Research , an autonomous and independent scientific research committee, has put the spotlight on it.
According to the survey conducted by the committee involving over 1300 people, 60.5% of those interviewed say that sleep is negatively affected by a change in environment . The total time spent at night outside the home decreases by 38 minutes while the time spent falling asleep increases by 15 minutes. The main sources of disturbance highlighted are the pillow (69.4%) and the mattress (52.7%), confirming the fact that these are two fundamental 'allies' for ensuring good rest for our body. After the first night, what happens in the subsequent ones? 22% of those interviewed declared that the quality of their sleep remained unchanged while 45.7% said they noticed a slight improvement.
"It clearly emerges from our survey that the First Night Effect has a strong negative impact on the macrostructure of people's sleep (in terms of quality, quantity and timing), whether traveling for work or holiday,” he states. Jacopo A. Vitale, Director of the Dorelan Research Scientific Committee, Laboratory Head and Researcher of the LaMSS of the IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute of Milan . “The first real step to make this condition less impactful is to know and understand it and then, secondly, it is essential to carry out some actions, in particular: maintaining a high quality of our sleep hygiene, controlling all the environmental factors of the room such as light, temperature, noise and mattress and avoid changing bedtime and wake-up times".
Can be useful , as also seen from the data of the survey conducted, choosing to sleep in the same environment several nights , so that it becomes familiar to our brain and, when possible, arriving at the hotel a night early so as to be sure of settling in. Scientific research shows, in fact, that the reason why we are victims of FNE is due to our brain's need to remain alert to defend ourselves from the potential dangers of an environment unknown to us. Although when you are on holiday everything should be easier.
Studies conducted in recent years have favored a greater diffusion of reflections on the topic of the quality of night's sleep: people increasingly need to be protagonists, even on holiday, of an experience that makes them feel in a safe and comfortable environment . The challenge of Dorelan, which has always been committed to the research and culture of sleep, is precisely to guarantee a stay oriented towards the quality of rest. A commitment aimed, on the one hand, at the hospitality sector by offering real “tailor-made bedding solutions” , with quality proposals personalized according to the needs of each hotel and its guests, on the other hand to a target of travellers, such as athletes, who have specific rest needs to face competitions at their best of your potential. The Dorelan ReActive Travel Set - with topper, pillow and trolley -, for example, was specifically created to promote good rest and guarantee constant quality of sleep even when away from home. Travel often causes a decline in the quality and quantity of sleep, causing disturbances to physiological processes and significantly influencing individual sleep-wake cycles and athletic performance. The Set allows you to benefit from a correct recovery phase: the topper made with the innovative Myform Memory Air HD allows high freedom of movement and excellent breathability throughout the night, as well as guaranteeing a thermoregulating effect thanks to the innovative Dry-Action fabric .