When I first started as a business traveler, the hotel was my escape.

I loved two specific aspects or gifts if you will:

1. Solitude – nobody but me
2. Silence – any noise came from me

I stayed up late watching whatever I wanted and oh I did.

I also created a bad habit of not sleeping well in a hotel or so I thought. This was self-imposed because if the evening was my own, I would eat dinner with my laptop lover, bring her up to my room for a nightcap. I would turn on the TV, iPad, had my phone on – any screen all the time.

Then I would have the room lights on until way too late.

Hmmm… shocking I was not able to sleep between all the stimulus, lights, adult beverages, etc.

But once I crashed a few years ago physically, I had had had to learn how to redo life in general then transfer it to the road.

My first adjustment was influenced by one of the authors of the book (and my favorite title ever) Sleeping Your Way to the Top by Terry Cralle.

She taught me I needed to focus first on the quality of my sleep before I ever worked on the quality of my sleep. This was GREAT news for someone who didn’t sleep that much or that well.

In the Elite Road Warrior Group we call this concept: IMPROVE Then INCREASE.

So, I began to look for tools, gadgets, hacks, resources that could help me improve my sleep first.

Some were small, inexpensive tweaks that all worked and I still use today.

But the longer I’ve been on the road, my gadgets’ costs and importance have increased. Now, I’m cautious with my money, and although not afraid to spend it on worthwhile products and services, I always did my homework and research sometimes to a fault.

As a result, I found there are a few key sleep aids that I’ve come to rely on big time on the road. These four are in the order I use them on any given evening on the road not necessarily order of importance.

Three of the items are one-time purchases and the 4th is an annual subscription.

Four High-End Sleep Aids for Business Travel

One – Blue Blocker Glasses

The research is overwhelming now on the effects of the blue light that emits from our screens whether a TV, phone, or tablet.

Doubt me? Drive through your street in the evening and see a window that has a TV on and watch that room glow with light – blue light. More proof? If you have an iPhone or iPad, put on Night Shift or Android to Night Mode or Night Light to very warm, and you’ll see the change in color hue big time.

Now, I’m not so hardcore that I don’t have the TV on in the evening or my computer screen or phone. I’ve dramatically improved since my days of old in my quest to become an elite road warrior.

So, the 1st of the high-end sleep aids for business travel became quality blue blocker glasses. I started with inexpensive blue blocker glasses from Amazon and it was just that, a start. But once I got the quality blue blocker glasses: game-changer. It was such a noticeable difference and worth the price.

Personally, I use The Swanwick brand called Swannies and on Amazon they are $69. You can also purchase straight from the Swanwick site here.

When do I use them?

When I’m in my hotel room for the night, I have an evening routine where I do the following:

• Turn the room temperature down (66-68°)
• Turn the room lights down
• Change into comfortable clothes (I’m an UnderArmor/Hurley guy)
• Put on my blue blocker glasses

Now, whatever I do the rest of the evening in my room from work on my computer, have the game on the tv, or watch a show on my iPad, my glasses are blocking the blue light emitted from the screen.

What if you have a blue blocker already set on your screens? Great! Double it up. Try it and you’ll notice the difference.

I challenge you to do something, anything, just not nothing with Sleep Aid 1: blue blocker glasses. Start inexpensive and work your way up or learn from me and just make the investment of the high-end glasses upfront.

Either way, begin implementing this tool to improve your sleep.

Remember, IMPROVE than INCREASE your sleep.

Two – Dep Sleepwear Hoodie

There are comfy clothes for bed and then there’s next level wear that is designed to enhance your sleep.

I do everything I can in my room to block out any light at all and literally GO DARK in my hotel room.

But often, no matter what I try with my hacks for the curtains with BYOC (bring your own clips) or packing electrical tape in my Sleep Kit (episode 035), oftentimes, the light just finds a way in the room.

I was searching for a solution and met the founder of Dep Sleepwear, Glenn Paradise at the Sleep Show sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation.

I loved hearing the back story of how Glenn came down with the flu and his body temperature was all over the place not to mention struggling to sleep during the day with the light. So, he solved his own problem and created a product that regulates temperature with compression fitting wear that has both a hood and an eye mask that is inside of the hood.

Brilliant!

I just had to try it and was hooked on the first night in my hotel room.

Since it could help me IMPROVE my sleep, I was in and loved trying this experiment.

So, once I turn the corner and get ready for bed, I do the following:

• Brush my teeth
• Wash my face
• Plug in all my devices to charge
• Put on my Dep Sleepwear hoodie

This seemingly remedial routine is a trigger for me and cues my body it’s time to “shutter down”.

The hoodie comes in male and female versions along with compression and loose fit.

If I forget my Dep Sleepwear hoodie, I instantly know it and of course, it’s my 4 or 5 day trip for the week.

Rookie mistake.

The founder and I are working on creating an Elite Road Warrior branded Dep Sleepwear version so keep an eye out by checking out the store at EliteRoadWarrior.com for this and other Elite Road Warrior Products to help you implement the six energy habits.

The cost is $99 at the Dep Sleepwear website.

This product will be a must for you once you experience it and it’s worth every penny if you’re serious about IMPROVING your sleep.

Three – 10% Happier Meditation App

I was one of the biggest skeptics of meditation. I had every excuse for why it wouldn’t work for me and if you remember the quote I put in the Elite Road Warrior book,

If you want to do something you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse. –  Jim Rohn

I didn’t want to and therefore had an excuse. The reality is I didn’t know how or really understand the benefits so therefore we don’t try what we don’t understand.

But after listening to the audiobook, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris, I gave it a shot and learned to translate it to the road.

“Getting my Road Tate On” is what I call it now.

So, when and how do I incorporate meditation and bedtime? Once I put my Dep Sleepwear on, I have the room dark and I do the following:

• Open the 10% Happier app
• Choose a 5 or 10-minute sleep meditation
• Try to relax and slow my body and mind down

Does this always work? Nope.

But it DRAMATICALLY increases my chances of falling asleep sooner which matters immensely to me who often has a difficult time falling asleep in a hotel room. If I’m really struggling to fall asleep and just can’t shut the thinker down, I do a second round of meditation and get my Road Sleep Tate on again and often that does the trick.

I personally prefer and endorse the 10% Happier app paid version. There are a ton of free and paid apps and I spent a ton of time researching, experimenting, and narrowing it down to 10% Happier. I like the teachers, the variety, and the interface. The paid version is $99.99 per year and around the holidays you can find it 40% off.

The point is trying meditation a few minutes before bed to just slow you down.

Four – Bose Sleepbuds

I’m a huge fan of Bose in general and traveled for years with the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones.

I had seen the initial advertisement and research on the Bose Sleepbuds but at the same Sleep Show I found Dep Sleepwear, I had a conversation with an engineer who designed the Sleepbuds. A cool conversation that did not put me to sleep. Just sayin’.

He mentioned the product target market is the business traveler and was very interested in Elite Road Warrior Group trying them out especially after his boss heard me speak later that day.

What makes Bose Sleepbuds different?

• They actually fit in your ear and are surprisingly comfortable
• You have numerous sounds to choose from that actually download on to the Sleepbud
• Each sound is not a loop (like many sleep app sounds which actually disrupts your sleep)
• They are NOISE-CANCELING which is huge in a hotel room
• An alarm can be set to gently wake you up

Personally, I love to control the sounds in my room that don’t come from my phone at a safe distance away so the Sleepbuds are critical.

When do I use my sleep buds?

• After my 10% Happier Sleep Tate is complete
• I set my wake-up time alarm
• Choose the sound that just feels right
• Boom – put my sleep mask on from my Dep Sleepwear hood and off I go

Honorable Mention – Lavender Essential Oil

Back in a past interview, I interviewed Beckie Farrant, an essential oil expert and I admitted my skepticism of essential oils.

After being surrounded by research and hesitant personal experience, I’m a big believer in essential oils, especially for sleep.

How do I use essential oil to help me sleep?

Two ways:

1. In the vents – Huh? Come again? Before I leave my hotel room for the evening, I put a few drops of Lavender essential oil on a cotton ball and put it in the vent. Why? So when I come back to my room, the scent is of the calming scent of Lavender and helps prepare me for bed. It’s become a routine for me now.
2. On my feet – I use a rollerball that has a mixture of essential oil (Lavender and Serenity by DoTerra to be exact) along with fractionated coconut oil and rub it on my big toe. Why there? It’s the highest absorption spot on my entire body.

There are two options to start with Lavender:

1. Buy a small 5ML bottle of Lavender in an introductory travel kit provided by DoTerra which also has Lemon and Peppermint. Listen to episode 020 to learn more about the benefits of Lemon and Peppermint but the cost is under $30 and lasts for many months.
   2. Buy a large 15ML bottle of Lavender on its own.

I feel using the essential oil of Lavender will help aid you in sleep on the road and can become part of your evening routine and an essential element in your Sleep Kit.

To learn more about my Sleep Kit check out episode 035.

There you have it Road Warriors, four high-end sleep aids for business travel:

Remember, the overall goal with Sleep under the REST energy habit is IMPROVE then INCREASE your sleep.

For me, I start with the blue blocker glasses to control the blue light from the screens, put on my Dep Sleepwear hoodie to control my body temperature and light with the eye mask, get my TATE on with a meditation from 10% Happier to slow my brain down, then set and fall asleep with my Bose Sleepbuds controlling my sound.

Often, sleep quality is all about the controllable:

• Light
• Sound
• Temperature
• Focus

And that is exactly why I leverage the four high-end sleep aids on the road. If you’re serious about your sleep or need to get serious, then make it a priority to invest in the four high-end sleep aids for business travel.

Go and leverage the four high-end sleep aids to become an Elite Road Warrior today.

You Got This!

Other References

Top 10 Business Travel Hacks Guide

7 Early Warning Signs for Companies to Avoid Business Travel Burnout