# New places: the first-night effect

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



## Takeaways

- Pack a travel sleep kit.

- Match home cues.

- Stack small wins.



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

- Night watch in one brain hemisphere during sleep associated with the first-night effect in humans (Tamaki M, Bang JW, Watanabe T, Sasaki Y, 2016)

- Effect of inhaled lavender and sleep hygiene on self-reported sleep issues: a randomized controlled trial (Lillehei AS, Halcón LL, Savik K, Reis R, 2015)

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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.

SleepShred for iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6802040541