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New places: the first-night effect

Recreate home — sound, light, feel, temperature, smell.

The first night somewhere new you don't feel as safe and your circadian cues aren't there. Brain imaging shows one hemisphere literally stays more vigilant on night one. Athletes who travel every 3–5 days mimic their home sleep environment on the road: their pillow, familiar smells like lavender (a small RCT effect), sound, light and temperature.

Sources · 2

Night watch in one brain hemisphere during sleep associated with the first-night effect…Tamaki M, Bang JW, Watanabe T, Sasaki Y · 2016On the first night in a new place, one hemisphere sleeps lighter and is more responsive to sounds — the first-night effect is a vigilance mechanism.Effect of inhaled lavender and sleep hygiene on self-reported sleep issuesLillehei AS, Halcón LL, Savik K, Reis R · 2015Lavender inhalation plus sleep hygiene improved sleep quality more than hygiene alone — a small, safe 'stackable win'.

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New places: the first-night effect?

Recreate home — sound, light, feel, temperature, smell.

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Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Screening scores are not diagnoses. If a score is elevated or you feel unwell, talk to a clinician.