Short answer
The first-night effect is the lighter, more broken sleep most people get on their first night in an unfamiliar place. A 2016 study found one brain hemisphere stays more alert to sounds on that night, a kind of night watch that fades by the second night. Familiar routines and blocking light and noise help.
Key takeaways
- Poor sleep on the first night away is normal and usually improves on the second.
- One half of the brain stays more alert to unfamiliar sounds in a new place.
- Bringing familiar cues and controlling noise and light both help.
On this page
Your brain is on night watch
A 2016 study in Current Biology by Tamaki and colleagues measured brain activity in volunteers during their first two nights in a sleep lab. On the first night, deep sleep was shallower in the left hemisphere, and that side of the brain responded more to irregular sounds and woke people more readily. By the second night the difference had faded.
The researchers compared it with the way some animals keep half the brain alert. In an unfamiliar environment, staying a little more vigilant is a sensible default. It just does not feel sensible at 2 AM in a hotel room before a meeting.
The effect is not limited to hotels. Sleeping at a partner's place for the first time, staying with family over a holiday, a tent on a camping trip or the night after moving house can all trigger it. The less the space resembles your usual bedroom, the stronger it tends to feel.
Make the room feel familiar
- Bring something from home. Your own pillowcase, a familiar scent, or the book you read at night can all signal that this is bedtime as usual.
- Keep your routine. Do the same last steps you do at home, in the same order. Routines travel better than rooms.
- Check the room once, then stop. Lock the door, close the curtains, find the light switches. A quick sweep lets the vigilant part of your brain stand down.
- Control light. Hotel rooms are full of standby lights and gaps in curtains. Use a sleep mask or a clip to close the curtain gap.
- Control noise. Earplugs or steady background noise cover corridor doors and lifts, which are exactly the irregular sounds the first-night brain reacts to.
How Soften Sleep fits in
Partner-Safe Mode keeps the experience more discreet at night. Soften offers three breathing techniques to choose from: Soften Sigh, 4-7-8 Breathing and Box Breathing.
If you wake up and cannot get back to sleep
Expect to wake more easily, and do not read it as a disaster. Resist turning on the TV or bright lights. Keep the room dark and use a slow exhale, such as the physiological sigh, then hand your attention to something neutral like the cognitive shuffle.
It helps to remember that the first night is usually the worst. Many people sleep noticeably better on the second night in the same room, so if you are staying several nights, protect your sleep schedule rather than compensating with long naps.
Try not to make the first night carry too much weight. If an important event is the next morning, arrive a night earlier when you can, so the restless night is not the one before the big day.
Moving house or traveling often
After a move, the new bedroom may take a few nights to feel normal. Set it up first, before the rest of the home, so you are not sleeping among boxes. If you travel a lot for work, a small travel kit with a mask, earplugs and your own pillowcase can make every hotel feel more like the last one.
If you are also changing time zones, the clock shift adds a second problem on top of the new room. See our guide on how to beat jet lag.
Sources
- Tamaki, M., Bang, J. W., Watanabe, T., & Sasaki, Y. (2016). Night watch in one brain hemisphere during sleep associated with the first-night effect in humans. Current Biology. doi.org
Soften Sleep is a wellness tool designed to promote relaxation and help manage occasional sleeplessness. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent insomnia or any medical sleep disorder. If you are experiencing chronic sleep issues, please consult a qualified healthcare provider.
FAQ
Why can't I sleep the first night in a hotel?
In unfamiliar places one side of the brain stays more alert to sounds during sleep. Researchers call it the first-night effect.
Does the first-night effect go away?
For most people it fades by the second night in the same place.
What helps me sleep better in a hotel?
Keep your usual routine, block light and noise, and bring a familiar item such as your own pillowcase.
Want this as a one-tap rescue?
Soften Sleep keeps quiet breathing and word prompts ready on your iPhone for the next time you wake up.