I’ve been pet sitting around the UK for the last couple of months, and I’m currently on my eighth sit. One thing has genuinely baffled me, and I have to ask… how do you all sleep without curtains?
Every single sit so far has had no curtains at all. Just blinds that let in almost as much light as if they weren’t there. I’ve stayed in east-facing bedrooms where the room is in broad daylight by about 5:00 a.m., and I honestly don’t understand how anyone sleeps through it.
Do people just naturally wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning during the summer? Or do you somehow get used to it?
I’ve tried a travel blackout blind, but they’re not suitable for every type of window. My current sit has three windows in the bedroom, and I’m not about to buy two more! So I’ve resorted to trying an eye mask, which I’m still getting used to.
I’m genuinely curious. Is this just something people in the UK don’t mind? I’d love to hear how everyone else manages.
Of the U.K. sits I’ve done, they’ve had a mix of heavy drapes, flimsy curtains, shutters and wood blinds that blocked most light. No apparent link to the hosts’ ages.
When I was young and didn’t wake before sunrise, I’d lay a clean sock over my eyes, because I didn’t like wearing eyeshades. But that wouldn’t work if you move a lot when sleeping.
I guess some hosts offer their spare room and have never slept in there.
I too prefer a dark room to sleep in and have been known to drape a towel or light throw over a curtain pole where the curtains are too thin to block out the light.
Hi @traveltails I think we’re all just grateful for the light, as during winter it’s dark by about 4pm and doesn’t really get light again until 8am. I used to have heavy curtains, but got rid of them (well, actually the curtain pole fell off the wall and I never got round to sorting it out) and found that I preferred waking up earlier in the summer to make the most of the long days. In winter, hibernation kicks in wherever possible!
It might be the unusually sunny few months that make it seem more apparent. My family back in the UK have blinds & curtains generally but also sleep with windows and curtains open a lot of the time out in the countryside. My sister in law, also in the UK, cannot sleep without total blackout and an eye mask though, it’s like an affliction. We do have short days in winter and not that many blue skies normally, so the light interference is usually much greyer in tone. #ukliving
Great answer!
That’s exactly my guess. I have also experienced that in other countries like Iceland, Finland… Generally places where houses are designed to catch as much sun as possible.
Even though I sleep in complete darkness at home and whenever I have that option, I get used to the light quite easily. It wakes me up at first and when I check the time I just go back to sleep. What I find more difficult to cope with is the heat. These houses are not ideal to fight heat waves.
I have also experienced that in some tropical regions, they tend to start active earlier as it gets dark earlier too, so many bedrooms don’t block the light.
This was the view from our bedroom window in the Philippines. To be honest we liked waking up to the morning light. The only issue was my wife felt a tad exposed worrying about the fishermen could see her. She soon realised the Teen fishermen were too busy to gawk at a mid 60s woman.
Team blackout curtains here! I can’t sleep if it’s too light. I even went to the trouble of adding curtains to the hallway windows, as the light seeping through was enough to wake me!
We are starting a sitting tomorrow and have been asked to close the blind in the utility room at night where the dog sleeps, Harry the dog doesn’t like the light mornings either
Here in the UK we have so many grey, cloudy or overcast days in the year, we tend to let in as much light as we can. In my house, the only area with heavy light blocking curtains is the sitting room. I tend to wake at dawn…but I like it that way and sometimes drift off again.
I’m from the UK and have curtains in one bedroom (the one I sleep in mainly) and a blackout blind in the other. Personally I like to wake up with the light as, if I had blackout curtains, I’d likely sleep in late. In my road shutters seem to be catching on, so maybe one day curtains won’t be a thing anymore!
I have curtains and live in the UK. In fact my bedroom has roller blinds and curtains. But most of the sits I have completed in the UK have had curtains also.
Swedish-born, but I grew up in the Netherlands. I never, ever, ever – did I mention ever? – leave the house with a sleep mask in my backpack. Now it’s a standard travel essential, right next to my lipstick.
I only mentioned my Scandinavian background because if you really want to experience daylight 24 hours a day, that’s where you need to go!
Until you asked, I’d never actually thought about it. But I really dislike those ridiculously early travel mornings . When I want to grab a quick nap during the day, finding a dark enough place can be a challenge. Put on a heavy-duty sleep mask, close my eyes, and I’m instantly in my own cosy little sleepy world.
Even though we’ve travelled through the UK many times, I’m completely clueless when it comes to your curtain question. Funny, isn’t it, what you remember from your travels… and what you don’t!
but thank you for taking the time to answer.
. When I want to grab a quick nap during the day, finding a dark enough place can be a challenge. Put on a heavy-duty sleep mask, close my eyes, and I’m instantly in my own cosy little sleepy world.