There is a growing complaint in society about sleep deprivation. The reasons can be many: from anxiety to lifestyle changes to medical conditions, etc. But have you ever considered travelling as a therapy for sleeplessness? Sounds strange. But one of the trends which have picked up post pandemic is sleep tourism. Although the hospitality sector had been toying with the idea for quite some time, the popularity of the concept has picked up in recent years.
Properties across the globe are now focussing on the 'only sleep' experience. This means guests can now check in to hotels customised only for sleep-related activities.
In 2022, the Park Hyatt in New York introduced the Bryte Restorative Sleep Suite, that is 900 sq ft rooms dedicated to rest.
In London, Zedwell is the first sleep-only hotel that allows its guests to enjoy a quiet break in the sound-proof property and AI-powered mattresses.
Mandarin Oriental, Geneva has, in fact, gone one step further and conducts sleep programs for their guests. Earlier, they teamed up with CENAS, a private medical sleeping clinic in Switzerland, to curate a three-day program that studies guests' sleeping patterns in order to identify potential sleeping problems.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine claims that 40 per cent of the over 2,500 adults who participated in the study reported a decline in sleep quality since the start of the pandemic.
It is not an unknown fact that millions of people across the globe suffer from sleep-related disorders. Dr Nimesh G Desai, senior consultant psychiatrist and former director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi, says, "Sleep is one of the basic biological functions, reflective of physical and mental health. It has been severely impacted in the post-pandemic era because of several reasons. One must practice good sleep hygiene to monitor their overall well-being."
Even though sleep tourism in the hospitality sector is yet to pick up in India, you still have a choice of destinations which are remote but picturesque, far from the humdrum of everyday life. Nestling deep inside the Himalayas, tucked away in a corner of the desert, a little visited village on the backwaters, these quaint destinations can help you set your body clock in order and help you get back to a normal sleeping routine.