This Is Why It’s Best to Turn on the Bathroom Light While You’re Sleeping at a Motel
Travel hacks make life on the road run more smoothly, which is great news for those who travel frequently for work or relaxation. Thankfully, pilots and flight attendants, who put in endless hours in hotels and on aeroplanes, use social media to give advice to others. For instance, a pilot shared something he always does to ensure he gets better sleep.
Travel Hack from a Pilot
Pilot Ron Wagner posted a helpful travel tip on Quora for those who have trouble navigating their sleep. People who travel for work or frequently sleep in unfamiliar locations are prone to sleep disorientation, where they wake up and lose their sense of location. Wagner explains a travel hack he uses to combat this issue.
Travel Hack to Prevent Confusion
Wagner’s helpful travel hack is to sleep with the bathroom light on when you stay at hotels, or new places because having a light on will help you see more clearly in the dark of night. This will help you acclimate to your surroundings and, hopefully, prevent confusion or panic.
The Pilot’s Justification
“The room was totally pitch black and I needed to pee. I lay there with my eyes wide open looking around, trying to find some visual clue. Nothing. Total blackness,” he says, regarding the helpful travel hack. “I didn’t even know how to get up, let alone remember the city.” Where was the wall? The lamp was missing. Which route to the bathroom? ”
Adding Perspective
He continued: “The hack is to turn on the bathroom light and leave the door cracked just the tiniest bit. The light streaming through that crack will give you your bearings.” However, Wagner explains that you don’t necessarily have to use the bathroom light. Any light will do.
An Alternate Travel Hack
“If the curtains don’t fully block the light, you don’t need to do this, so the real hack is to make sure there is some sliver of light somewhere to help you recall where you are,” he added. “Even then I still awoke every once in a while wondering what city I was in, but it turns out that just a few orienting clues in the sliver of light were all I needed to recall.”
Sleep Disorientation
Although sleep disorientation isn’t an official medical term, Very Well Health describes something similar, confusional arousal. Around 20% of adults and children suffer some sort of confusional arousal, which commonly happens during the transition from the deepest period of sleep, to waking up. The cause is thought to be related to brain function because “different regions of the brain fail to fully communicate with each other,” according to VWH. “As a result, some parts of the sleeper’s brain stay asleep while others suddenly awake.”
Recognizing Sleep Disorientation
Symptoms include:
Confusion or disorientation.
Aggression
Staring off into space without saying anything.
Appearing to be “looking through you”
Confused or slurred speech
While obviously alarming, confusional arousal comes in short intervals, roughly 10 minutes, explains VWH.
A Forum for Information
Wagner posted the travel on Quora. Although it’s unclear how reputable the information on Quora is, the forum was designed for people to “gain and share knowledge.” Either way, Wagner’s expertise as a pilot holds merit and can be invaluable for staving off confusion in a new place. Wagner isn’t the only airline employee providing great travel hacks. In contrast, advice ranges from ensuring a smooth flight and being prepared in case plans change to how to pack efficiently. Here are some other helpful travel strategies to reduce stress while traveling.
1. Keep your valuables close at hand.
Never put anything you’re not alright with losing in your checked bag. This could be monetarily or sentimentally valuable or important documents like your passport. Either way, it’s a terrible idea to leave someone else responsible for something important, as not everyone will treat your items with the same care you might use.
2. Have a Financial Cushion
When travelling, things often go wrong, so it’s a good idea to have a few hundred dollars set aside in case you need to make last-minute hotel reservations or find somewhere to eat because your flight has been delayed.
3. Bring a Power Strip
While it might seem extreme, this travel hack will be advantageous when you get to your gate and discover there isn’t an open plug. To create more outlets and guarantee that you always have the option to charge your gadgets before a lengthy travel, you might ask someone to replace their charger with your power strip.
4. Put it in writing.
Writing down your destination’s address on paper is a smart option, which you can then type into your GPS or give to your driver. You can be sure they have the right information in this way. This travel hack extends to all travel plans including anywhere you might have reservations or an outing planned. Additionally, when exploring the area, take a few business cards from the hotel so you can quickly provide the address to different drivers.
Alternatively, you can utilise your phone to save essential information. However, since you might not have service or Wi-Fi until you get to your destination, it’s a good idea to save it in your notes rather than refer to an email.
5. Packing Tip for Travel
Female airline attendants provide the final travel tip, explaining that packing light and rolling your clothes can help you make more room. Meanwhile, the military uses a “fold and roll” strategy. You supposedly fold little items like tank tops, socks, and undergarments. Next, roll those into larger items like pants and sweatshirts.