Some people have difficulty falling asleep in a new environment because of the 'first night effect', a phenomenon linked to the right hemisphere of the brain remaining vigilant in an unfamiliar environment to ensure safety.
Stress and anxiety activate alert mechanisms in our brain, leading the body to believe it must remain vigilant. These emotions particularly trigger the sympathetic nervous system, causing an increase in heart rate and a rise in cortisol levels, a hormone related to stress. As a result, the body struggles to shift into a state of relaxation sufficient for falling asleep. Certain thoughts spiral out of control, we focus on unusual noises, strange bodily sensations, or the discomfort of the new location. The mind remains stuck in "monitoring" mode, making it harder to fall asleep.
Sleeping in an unfamiliar place can disrupt your REM sleep phase, the one where you dream most intensely. The first night away from your usual bed, your brain stays a bit on guard: this is known as the "first night effect." As a result, your brain activates certain areas as if it remains vigilant against a potential threat, making it difficult to achieve restorative and deep sleep. Therefore, you will often wake up more tired, even after a full night, because your REM cycle has been disrupted, affecting the very quality of your rest.
When you sleep in an unfamiliar place, your brain sometimes enters a state of heightened vigilance. It remains partially alert, ready to react quickly to any unusual noise, light, or movement. As a result, the small sounds that you usually don’t pay attention to at home, like creaking floorboards, a clock, or the quiet hum of an air conditioner, become extremely disturbing. Your brain processes these stimuli as potential threats because it hasn’t yet cataloged this new environment as completely safe. The result: you have more difficulty falling into deep sleep or staying asleep throughout the night.
Our brain loves its little habits, those routines that reassure it before going to sleep. When we change our environment, our little evening rituals come to an end: it's not necessarily easy to relax without our favorite couch, our evening cup, or even that dim light we know by heart. This break in habits forces the mind to stay alert, the brain cannot find its usual landmarks, and it takes longer to let go. Even a small, simple change, like sleeping in a bed oriented differently or in a new room, can disrupt our internal rhythm and hinder falling asleep.
Sleeping in an unfamiliar place often activates our primitive survival instinct, a result of ancestral evolution: when our ancestors slept in unusual locations, remaining partially alert increased their chances of survival in case of danger.
The phenomenon of having difficulty falling asleep in a new environment is called the "first-night effect." This has been observed in many mammals, including humans, allowing them to remain alert to potential risks.
Studies show that a part of the brain (typically the left hemisphere) remains more active than the other during the first night spent in a new place, which explains why we sleep more lightly and why small noises can easily wake us up.
According to several studies, bringing a familiar object—such as a personal pillow or a usual blanket—can significantly reduce the difficulty of falling asleep in a new environment.
An occasional lack of sleep for a few days of travel generally has no lasting effects. However, chronic or frequent sleep disturbances can seriously disrupt the circadian rhythm and affect overall well-being.
This phenomenon, called the "first night effect," is linked to the heightened activity of a part of the brain that remains alert, resulting in lighter sleep to quickly detect any potential danger.
Sure! Here’s the translation: "Yes, maintaining a familiar pre-sleep routine, using personal items such as a pillow or sleep mask, and limiting your exposure to electronic devices can help make falling asleep away from home easier."
Generally, full adaptation takes 1 to 3 nights. However, this timeframe can vary among individuals depending on their level of anxiety, accumulated fatigue, and the conditions of the new environment.
Yes, absolutely. Your brain is attentive to unusual stimuli in a new environment, which increases your sensitivity to sounds and can compromise the quality of sleep.
Anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing alertness and releasing hormones like adrenaline, which in turn limits the ability to relax and fall asleep quickly.
No one has answered this quiz yet, be the first!' :-)
Question 1/5
