Why is it that you seem to have a terrible sleep the first night you stay in a hotel or other unfamiliar place? Science has a theory. If you’re also experiencing terrible sleep at home, it could be due to a poor mattress. Find a comfortable mattress by reading our mattress reviews online.
The first night at a new place, whether it’s a hotel, a friend’s house or an apartment, is horrible. It is difficult to fall asleep, and you wake up every single time.
You feel tired and groggy in the morning.
You are not the only one who has experienced this phenomenon. It is a phenomenon that almost everyone has experienced and scientists believe it to be evolutionary. It is called the « sleep phenomenon » by sleep researchers.First-night Effect.
Half-Asleep
It was discovered by researchers who were doing sleep studies in laboratories decades ago. Participants would be invited to the study, but they would sleep so badly the first night that researchers had no choice but to throw away any data.
They had to wait for the second day, when they would be able to sleep better.
To further study this sleeping pattern, scientists conducted an experiment. They found surprising results that were a little crazy.
Scientists discovered major differences in the brain hemispheres of two people during their first night of sleeping in a strange location.
They also tested for slow-wave, which is a type of deep sleep marked by slow synchronized waves resulting from EEG activity.
The researchers found that slow-wave activity was higher in the right hemisphere than the left on the first night. This means that one side of the brain was more alert and awake than the other. Participants were only half asleep.
Two sounds were played while study participants slept to prove that the brains of one and the other half were awake.
The brain was initially trained to hear one sound, then the pitch was suddenly altered. Only the left side of the brain responded to this new sound.
The participants were then woken by the sound. The participants were more responsive to the sound if they played it in their right ear, which is connected to their left hemisphere.
It was interesting to see that the difference in hemispheres disappeared by the second night, and participants slept better. You will often find that you are able to sleep better after your second night in a hotel.
Evolution
Even when sleeping, early man had to defend himself against predators. Flickr image by Ben Sutherland
Researchers were the first to show that the brain can stay awake for half an hour. It is exactly what you would expect after thousands upon thousands of years of evolution.
It is actually a common phenomenon in animals like dolphins and birds. They are able to both sleep and remain alert to their surroundings, which is uncanny.
Although our ability to remain awake has diminished over time, we still have automatic reactions to predators.
Your brain does not trust new places when you travel. It keeps one side of your brain alert for potential dangers to keep you safe.
Tired And Groggy
You’re probably tired if you woke up on the first morning of vacation feeling exhausted. Your brain, or half of it, was alert throughout the night.
What can you do?
It is not much. It’s an involuntary response and you have no control over it. Don’t worry about the situation. Sleeping with anxiety is worse than anxiety.
Go to bed and attempt to get through tomorrow with half of your brain.
You should travel for business meetings a few days in advance. This will allow your brain to recover from the first night. The second day will be a better experience.
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