11 States in 7 Days Means Many Different Beds

Traveling with insomnia can lead to sleepless nights or tossing and turning all night. Changing beds every night for a week could lead to a level of exhaustion that I do not want. How did I manage to get some sleep while traveling? Luck. I’m certain it was pure luck getting any amount of sleep with insomnia, traveling, and changing beds.

Travel and changing beds

This bed is too soft

There were a couple of hotels that had soft beds. Those beds were good for snuggling down into and felt comfy and inviting. Unfortunately, those soft beds caused me to toss and turn and wake frequently.

While they were indeed comfy, I kept waking throughout the night. Those mattresses didn’t provide enough support and I felt a bit contorted. I frequently felt the need to move to try to find a more supportive position. Soft beds were snuggly and made it easier to go to sleep but I could not stay asleep.

This bed is too hard

One of the beds was just too hard. I had pressure points that caused pain after sleeping for a short amount of time. It was harder to get to sleep because it was more difficult to get comfortable. Even after finding a comfortable position, it quickly changed because I would develop pain in various areas where there was just too much pressure.

Sleeping in a bed that was too hard was a nightmare. I ached all day. Trying to stretch out some of the soreness was an all day job that made it harder to get through the day. I was grateful that only 1 of the beds was too hard.

This bed is just right

I was very lucky, and for that, I am extremely grateful. Most of the beds were just the right firmness to help me get as much sleep as possible with insomnia. I had enough support without having uncomfortable pressure points.

While I still didn’t sleep through the night and, of course, had my normal issues falling asleep, I was still able to get enough sleep to function even during busy days. There is no way to know what the beds will be like when you book a room. This was pure luck. Finding places to stay with beds that were just right for me was just luck.

This room is too hot

Temperature makes a big difference in how I sleep. I have a set range that helps me get the most sleep and anything outside of that range keeps me awake at night. Two rooms would not cool down to within that range and I tossed and turned, uncomfortable and unsettled.

One room had a door between the bedroom and living room section. We tried closing the door between the 2 sections but quickly realized there was only a single vent in the bedroom area. This made it worse, not better. I got very little sleep in a room that was hot, had a hard mattress, and pillows with very little stuffing. Thankfully, I knew I would not be staying in the same room the next night and hoped the next room would be better.

Pillow talk and troubles

I forgot to bring my favorite body pillow and this caused its own set of problems. I had no choice but to deal with it, and I had trouble with pillows in several rooms during our travels. Some were way too soft. Some had very little stuffing and could hardly be called pillows. One set of pillows was hard and made it difficult to use them.

Pillows that are too soft or hard can cause neck and shoulder pain. Pillows with very little stuffing cause the same issue. Fortunately, I did not experience major troubles and was able to stretch out most of the discomfort right after waking in the morning. The pillows that were too hard made it even harder to fall asleep. No matter how hard I tried to get comfortable, I just couldn’t.

Catching some Zs on the road

I was pleasantly surprised to have pillows that were just right in the same room as the bed that was just right and air conditioning that made it possible to achieve just the right temperature. I caught up on some sleep in that room. Anyone who has insomnia knows that just 1 night of decent sleep can be quite refreshing. I needed some sleep, and it was pure luck that I found a room with the right conditions to help me sleep.

A little luck

Since we changed rooms every night during our travels, each night meant I had another chance at getting a decent night’s sleep. Some nights I was lucky, and others I was not.

Have you had issues with insomnia while traveling? How did you manage to get enough sleep? I would love to hear about your experience traveling with insomnia.

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