Jet Lag Hacks and the Science of Sleep with Expert Rebecca Robbins

Sleep Scientist and the co-author of Sleep for Success, Dr. Rebecca Robbins, has dedicated her life to researching sleep. She’s a frequent guest on TV shows such as The Today Show and CBS This Morning and has been featured in the New York Times, Financial Times, and Readers’ Digest. She worked as a “Sleep Consultant” for the Benjamin Hotel in New York, where she implemented a pillow menu and power nap kit for guests, and she also partners with the hotel brand Sonesta to offer guests a variety of ways to improve their sleep. 

Together with Melissa, Dr. Robbins dives into the science behind sleep and reveals her fascinating research findings. She shares applicable techniques for improving sleep both at home and while traveling, and explains various methods to evade the dreaded jet lag. Melissa and Dr. Robbins also explore the exciting future of sleep tourism, as well as how we can learn better sleep practices from other cultures (including her experience with hygge in Scandinavia).

Melissa ends the episode with her personal tips for mastering jet lag after decades of international travel and long flights. 

 

See below for a few highlights on sleep tips from today’s episode: 

Create the ideal sleep environment: 

• Use blackout curtains to keep light out (move away from light sources before bed time)
• Use an eye mask and ear plugs
• Invest in your mattress, pillow (choosing the right type based on if you sleep on your side, back or stomach), and bedding
• Wear breathable fabrics

Tools/Gadgets to help you sleep:

• Apps: NuCalm and Calm
• Listen: natural sounds such as pink noise and brown noise (the sound of rainfall is popular) can help you fall asleep 
• Trackers: Invest in an Oura Ring to track and help better understand your sleep patterns

Prepare for travel:

• Two weeks before your trip, start to shift your wake and your sleep times in small increments of 15 minutes in the direction of your new time zone
• A few days before departure, begin shifting your meal schedule to align closer to the times you will eat at your destination
• Opt for traveling during the day as taking a red-eye will be harder to recover from

On arrival in your destination: 

• Expose yourself to as much natural sunlight as possible so your melatonin levels can adjust to the new time zone
• Exercise outside