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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Sleep Easy
The Occidental Tourist · December 27, 2000

Last week, the Tourist spoke of the horror stories he faces when it comes to sleeping and travel. But there's hope, thanks to information fed to him from the experts. (And feel free to give him your inside skinny on the subject at tourist@ticked.com.)

- Sleeping in crowded coach class? Get a seat away from bathrooms and on the opposite side from where the sun will shine. Ask the boarding agent if there are any completely empty rows available to stretch out. (To clear a row, consider not changing underwear or wearing deodorant.) Bring sunglasses, earplugs, slipper socks, bottled water and other sleep-enhancers on board. (The Tourist prefers five of those tiny bottles of Wild Turkey. Which, of course, he sneaks on board to avoid the $4 per-bottle charge.) The National Sleep Foundation advises travelers to anticipate time changes of a prolonged, new destination by going to bed earlier a couple days prior to an eastward trip and later for a westbound trip. Also, set your watch according to destination time upon boarding.

- Tips for the hotel: Book a room on a high floor if you're on the street side, and one that's away from elevators, ice machines and hospitality suites. Keep the room at 65 degrees and request extra pillows and blankets if you need 'em. Bolt the door and make sure that "Do Not Disturb" sign is hanging outside for a soothing sense of security.

Try 'white noise' as well. If you don't pack such a machine, try turning on a radio or TV to a frequency without a channel and have the static play on a low volume to simulate white noise.

- What hotels are providing: Quality hotels have introduced Serta sleepers to upgrade their beds. Four Seasons is launching a "Perfect Sleep" effort, with blackout curtains to diffuse natural light; a choice of foam, feather or orthopedic pillows and down comforters. Then, there's the chain's custom-made Sealy Posturelux 4000 beds, with 17 pounds of cotton on each side of the mattress; 565 wrapped coils; extra foam to prevent center sagging; and a firm coil spring construction with layers of natural and synthetic material to provide a soft quilted top and bottom. Also: The luxury chain's Chicago location serves up "Jet-Lag tea," to help customers overcome the time-zone changes.

With the results of its revealing survey in, Westin is now spending $30 million to introduce 52,000 "Heavenly Beds" into all 83 of its hotels in North America, with upgrades in pillows, mattresses, blankets, comforters and duvets.

Last month, Ritz-Carlton wrapped up an effort to upgrade its linens and provide non-allergenic pillows to guests. Hilton offers "Sleep-Tight" rooms with a Sony Dream Machine, Sharper Image white noise machines, special black-out curtains and other sleep-enhancing amenities.

The Occidental Tourist is a magazine writer in Washington, DC. He writes for Maxim, POV, Capital Style and ABCNews.com. His column appears on Tuesdays. E-mail him at tourist@ticked.com.