I think the most challenging part of pet sitting for me is having trouble falling asleep in a new environment. Does anyone have tips for falling asleep?
Bring your own pillow if you have a car? Bring your own regular laundry pod and wash the sheets so they smell like home? Get the temperature right? Try and get sits where the animal doesnāt share the bed if you arenāt keen on that? Those are things that Iād consider!
Oh yeah edit: this page has really useful advice, I love the alphabet technique it talks about https://bronhogan.com/insomniacs-alphabet-technique/
For us, seperate beds are a must, plus a black out eye mask, ear plugs, white noise App and sleepy scent from here
Bed time is a bit of a process!
Iāve been pretty lucky and have had no issueās. I do bring things from home that remind me of smells. I use aromatherapy also for helping with sleep, but changing environments hasnāt effected me too much for which Iām grateful.
Ah, I feel you. That was my problem for most of my life - hotels, planes, not a wink ever⦠that is, until a few years ago. Aging cured my sleep issues in hotels and Airbnbs (not planes though). So, there is hope.
Today, I try not to stress about it but rather ignore it. If I cannot fall asleep or wake up in the middle of the night, I never ever force myself to fall asleep again but simply get up and do things or get involved in something on my laptop in bed. The latter works pretty well, often I am back asleep within 20-30 min - but if not, I no longer mind starting a day earlier
I fall asleep easily pretty much anywhere, but I accidentally discovered this:
More than a decade ago, I got two audiobooks that inadvertently put me straight to sleep. Iāve never been able to get through one chapter in either audiobook, because the narrator voices are sleep-inducing. The audiobooks:
If these donāt put you in a coma, maybe others will, LOL.
I also have friends who work at companies that make apps like this, though Iāve not used them: www.calm.com.
I do absolutely nothing and use nothing to help me sleep. If I canāt sleep Iāll read a book. Usually after the first night in a different bed itās fine
I dab lavender essential oil on my temples, and sometimes a couple of drops on the top that Iām wearing.
Podcasts and audiobooks.
The audiobooks are particularly good, because Iām often continuing a story that I have started at home, so my brain knows itās sleep time. (And yes, every night I have to skip back until I find a bit I remember because I fell asleep before the timer stopped!). Many libraries are linked up with a free app, so you can download audiobooks for free.
Podcasts are quite good, as long as you remember to turn off Autoplay! My favourites are various āSleepā ones, āHistory of the English Languageā, and āHistory of Philosophy without any gapsā. Iāve found itās best if itās just one person, or two calm people. If Iām really struggling Iāll listen a comedy podcast like āNo such thing as a fishā to change my mindset, before listening to something more calm.
Iām also keeping an eye out for small red light travel lamp, so that I can make it āeveningā in whatever bedroom Iām in!
We use a sleep machine for āwhite noise ā. Also OTC Melatonin.
If possible I prefer my own pillow plus a white noise sleep app, I use ShutEye which is good.
Sit for very active dogs. Two, five mile walks a day then watering the kitchen garden and pots, running up and down the stairs because you forgot what you went for then playing ball out in the garden because itās such good weather itās a shame the dog is in the house.
I fall into bed and am asleep before my head hits the pillow.
After being on the road for five years and caring for so many different pets, I find myself eventually dropping off to sleep only to suddenly wake up looking around trying to figure out where I am. Iām then in a panic trying to see the pets that are āsupposedā to be next to me then realise Iām in a different home. Even when I donāt have pets! So confusing!
Now Iām struggling to sleep at all. I read my Kindle, then put on a one hour white noise download and that seems to work. If not I do what @anon47943759 does. I get up, do some stuff, and if that doesnāt work I just donāt sleep for 48 hours and am a day ahead of myself
Definitely. And calling the pet by the name of the dog on the last sit.
Iām loving the suggestions everyoneās come up with for how to fall asleep in new places!
Mine would be:
Magnesium supplements
Tart cherry supplements
Lavender epsom salt bath
Lavender body lotion and body spray
A little boisterous play time with the cat and his favourite āstring on a stickā toy
Listening to an audiobook Iāve already listened to (that way I donāt miss anything I havenāt already heard before)
@CatloverForever weād love to hear your feedback if you try any of the tips that everyoneās mentioned!
@Jenny oh how I would love to have a Lavender Epsom salt bath. Sounds devine. But I wouldnāt be able to get out of the bath tub!
@ziggy I sometimes think if I had a floatation tank, Iād just stay in there forever!
Lavender epsom salts are my special self care treat (along with the occasional macaron!) and Iāve been known to stand and just inhale the scent straight from the jar of salts, while I wait for the bath to fill!
Sometimes Iāll treat myself to a lavender bath bomb from Eden Water which is a local, sustainable company. The owner is a lovely, generous lady who always seems to sneak a little extra into my order!
-I bring my own sheets & even pillow now. (I only drive, so itās doable for me.)
-I also tend to cover up mirrors (according to feng shui, mirrors facing the bed can cause unrest.)
-I keep the temp at around 65 at nite or open windows.
-I also turn down any photos or cover any stuffed animals (they freak me out) or put them in the closet temporarily.
-Upon arrival, I tend to crack windows a bit just to let in fresh air and refresh the room (in my mind, to get the owners energy out and clear it for my sleeping.)
Bedrooms (any room) hold the energies & thought patterns of those who inhabit them, so a nice clear out and refresh before you sleep there is helpful. Even if you have some sage or light incense that you like, that can help set it for you. And then bring your things in to make it feel more like your energetic space, even if itās only a short stay.