Thank you @botvot a very normal reaction … I’ve had the same “non-believers” 
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Using a white noise app has made a big difference for me. It helps mask the sounds that new surroundings often have - clock ticking, dog snoring, etc. I have used the Yogasleep Rohm machine which is small and relatively inexpensive but only use the app now because it’s one less thing.
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Hi @geoff.hom.
The pillows we use are from Coop. We use their camp pillows, which are the size of a standard pillow if you cut it in half widthwise. These pillows are filled with shredded memory foam, pop back into shape after being squished up for months, and can be tossed in the dryer for a few minutes if they start going flat. You can also buy a bag of new foam if you want. We’ve had ours for over three years and haven’t needed to pop them in the dryer yet, much less replenish the foam.
It looks like they aren’t selling the camp size anymore, but you can buy the camp-size zippered pillowcase and a bag of foam, and make your own. You could also just use a regular zippered pillowcase and cut/sew it to the size you want. This half-size works great for us. Using the bag of foam you can put as much foam in as you want to make the pillow the perfect level of support for you.
The sheets we use are actually silk sleeping bag liners. Silk sheets are amazing! They rival top-end cotton sheets, and they too squish down, to about the size of a phone. We use Sea to Summits which are still going strong at 13 years and counting. Amazon has a few varieties.
The air mattresses we use are from Big Agnes. We got the insulated ones because we tent camp from time to time, but they also offer ones without as much insulation which roll up even smaller. We’ve had ours for 3 years and love them.
This combination doesn’t take up much space, and it guarantees we can create that perfect sleep environment wherever we are. It’s the feeling of being in your own bed at home, just on the road with you. This has made all the difference in our living on the road. 
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Been a sitter for 6 years. So the bad ones stand out more. I do prefer to sleep in a bed that’s not the owners - in a month-long sit, after a transatlantic flight, I was given the owner’s bed. I was so tired but couldn’t sleep - took me awhile to figure out the smell but it was baked in the comforter - the smell of dried sweat!
In another 2-week sit, the bed was so tiny - a single, and with two cats who liked to sleep with me, I almost fell off a couple of times. And I’m medium height, Size 2 (US), (6UK) 36(EU), XS-S.
I find many homes with old pillows. I always travel with antibacterial pillow cover.
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My saying was “I could sleep standing up in a broom closet” but have been tested by one sit and a few Airbnb’s @Colin
I’d much rather good air flow though!
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I like it! Mine was always “I could sleep on a galloping hedgehog 
“ @Verityandjulian @Colin
This is an interesting topic.
I wish SO MUCH that Pet Owners would always include really good photos of any and every bed they are willing to let the sitters use and a description of the bed and mattress.
Everyone is different with bed needs but good sleep is VITAL to our sanity and ability to function (and care for your home/pets). Some of us like firm, others need soft. Some hate memory foam and others love it.
If the HO’s could just imagine how they select where they vacation and how they read reviews on lodgings…what are they looking for in terms of comfort and imagine that is just as important for their sitter.
I have slept in some beds that gave me terrible back aches bc the mattresses were simply very old or much too soft.
I am also not a fan of most memory foam unless it is very firm.
Sharing this info upfront would be WONDERFUL for all of us!
This made me smile so much as it took me many years to decide to try one and then I wondered what I ever did without one and this is the same for earplugs too.
I’ve never slept through an alarm, I think the earplugs that I use just make the noise seem dulled down and further away so it does not disturb me, they don’t seem to block all noise out completely. This has been my experience with several brands I have tried.
So you hear the alarm it is just not as sharp and intrusive, plus you kind of sense it, that has been my experience and I can not live without earplugs, but I am quite noise sensitive. Just wore mine on the plane yesterday!
I have tried white noise and I fall asleep quite well, but then wake up later in the night and turn it off as it seems to annoy me at that point, but if it works for you that’s great!
Happy napping 
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I will never agree to a housesit with a blow-up bed again. 
I am in so much pain!!
@SunshineAndAloha wow you were a brave soul to even consider sleeping on a blow up mattress!! Unbelievable that you were offered that anyway as there must have been at least the hosts own bed to sleep in! Hosts really should test out the beds they offer sitters.
We don’t do sofa beds either or standard (read-small) double beds- unless there is a second bed/bedroom available. We also ask about mattress quality. Our comfort and a good night sleep is so important for our enjoyment of the sit and our ability to be top fit for the pets!
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I was only offered to sleep on the blow-up mattress but I agreed to it before hand. I am regretting it now though! 
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My bed experiences so far have been a mixed bag, most not so great. One was a tiny day bed with a really hard mattress. It was very uncomfortable. One was a king size adjustable, also hard mattress, but I got used to it. Right now I am on a paid private client sit and have a small twin bed with a fairly comfortable mattress. I prefer a larger bed however because I’m a bigger gal! My next sit coming up has a bed that is a series of blocks that fold out. It looks like it will be soft enough, but not very wide.
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I’m curious if people think there’s a difference between a twin (single) bed and a daybed?? I had a bit of an issue once with a HO about this where I mentioned she should specify that it’s a daybed but she seemed upset by this suggestion and said it’s “the same thing”
I use to sleep on a twin bed growing up and the kind of mattress provided for a twin and daybed seem a bit different in my opinion. Honestly It felt more like a futon.
Yes, @nugs, that’s been my experience with daybeds too. But I haven’t come across any daybeds in years, so maybe more recent ones have better mattresses than the older ones?
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AFAIK, day beds are not really suitable for an adult’s sleeping comfort.
I think a single proper bed and a day bed are different @nugs A day bed is fine for a quick nap but not the same comfort as a full night’s sleep on a real mattress.
It must depend on the daybed - I’ve seen a couple that take a normal twin mattress, it’s just the frame looks vaguely couch-like.
Bed comfort is so subjective but I’ve mostly had fine to great beds, with one bad one that was a futon with a too-thin mattress so I could feel every wooden slat underneath. But I used the couch instead, and could have asked to use the homeowner’s room if that hadn’t been comfortable.
I had a bad bed experience when I was first starting out. Luckily it was a very local sit. Just a few miles from my home. It was also a sit for three sheep. The owner didn’t sleep on a mattress. She slept on the box springs. I know, weird. My back couldn’t allow it and the couch was not comfortable either. We agreed on my going home at night. I don’t know what some poor person who traveled there would have done. Maybe purchased a blow up. The sit was for a month.
lol. My hubby looks at bedroom pics and says “OMG…look at all those pillows!”
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Same here! More cushions than bed sometimes too!