Best things to pack to sleep well on a trip

Key takeaways

• Pack earplugs first. In a 2026 lab study, foam earplugs blocked nearly all the effects of traffic and aircraft noise on sleep.

• Pair them with an eye mask. Together they protected sleep in a study that kept people in a noisy, lit room overnight.

• Expect the first night to be worse. Part of your brain stays more alert in a new place on night one, so don’t judge a trip by its first night.

• Socks, a light layer, and water cover the comfort basics. Hotel rooms and plane cabins run hot, cold, or very dry.

• Melatonin eases jet lag for some people, if you get the dose and timing right. Small doses work, the label may not match what’s in the bottle, and children need a doctor’s advice first.

Why it’s hard to sleep away from home

Most people sleep worse on the first night somewhere new, and there’s a reason. In a 2016 study at Brown University, researchers found that on the first night in a sleep lab, one side of the brain slept less deeply than the other and reacted faster to unusual sounds. The authors compared it to a “night watch.” By the second night, the difference was gone.

So some of what you lose on night one is your brain keeping an ear out in an unfamiliar room. The rest is usually the room itself: noise from the hallway or street, light around the curtains, a thermostat you don’t control, and a bed and pillow you’re not used to. Most of the things on this list deal with those.

We ranked them by how well the research supports each one, and how much difference it’s likely to make for an ordinary trip.

1. Earplugs - Small, cheap, and well tested

Noise from hallways, traffic, and neighbors is hard to shut out in a hotel or rental, and earplugs are a well-tested fix. In a 2026 lab study, 25 healthy adults slept through nights with 93 recorded noises from traffic, trains, and aircraft. Foam earplugs, which cut sound by about 25 dB on average, prevented nearly all the noise’s effects on their sleep. They started to fall short only for the loudest noises, around 65 dB.

Foam earplugs cost very little and come in multipacks. Roll them thin, insert them while gently pulling the top of your ear up and back, and hold them for a few seconds while they expand. If foam is uncomfortable, silicone or wax plugs sit over the ear canal instead of in it.

Best for: Anyone staying near traffic, elevators, ice machines, or a thin wall.

2. An eye mask - For curtains that don’t close

Hotel curtains often leave a gap, and rentals may have none. An eye mask blocks light at the source, so it works in any room and on a plane.

The research usually tests masks and earplugs together. In a 2010 study, 14 healthy adults slept in a room with recorded hospital noise and the lights on. Wearing earplugs and an eye mask gave them more REM sleep, fewer arousals, and higher melatonin levels than sleeping without them. The CDC’s travel health guide also suggests an eye mask and earplugs for sleeping on flights.

If you’re choosing one, our ranking of sleep masks compares shapes and materials. A contoured mask leaves room to blink and keeps light out at the nose.

Best for: Light sleepers, flights, and rooms with thin curtains or early sun.

3. A neck pillow - For sleeping sitting up

Sleeping upright is hard partly because your head has nowhere to rest. In a 2018 study of daytime naps, people sleeping in a seat tilted back only 20 degrees got 29% less sleep and far less REM sleep than when they lay flat. Reclining to 40 degrees closed most of the gap in total sleep. The researchers pointed to the difficulty of keeping the head in a comfortable position.

A neck pillow is the usual fix for that. No good studies have compared them, so choose one that actually supports your chin or the side of your head, rather than just ringing your neck. Wrap-style pillows and ones with a firmer front tend to stop the head falling forward.

Best for: Overnight flights, trains, and long car journeys.

4. Warm socks and a light layer - For rooms you can’t control

You can’t always set the thermostat, and plane cabins swing between hot and cold. A layer you can add or take off is the simplest way to stay in the range that suits sleep.

Socks may help in a cool room. In a small 2018 study of six young men sleeping in a room at about 73°F, wearing bed socks helped them fall asleep faster, wake less often, and sleep longer. Warm feet help the body shed heat, which is part of how it winds down for sleep.

Heat can be harder to deal with. A review of the research on bedroom climate found that hot, humid rooms increase waking and cut deep and REM sleep. If the room runs warm, pack lighter sleepwear, use only the top sheet, and turn the air conditioning down early, before bed.

Best for: Cold rooms, overnight flights, and anyone whose feet run cold.

5. A refillable water bottle - For dry air

Plane cabins are very dry. In an FAA-sponsored study of 83 commercial flights, cabin humidity averaged about 11%, and it fell lower on longer flights. Hotel rooms with heating or air conditioning can be dry too.

Dry air doesn’t ruin sleep on its own, but a dry mouth and throat can wake you. The CDC’s travel guide says staying hydrated is sensible, since dehydration can make jet lag symptoms worse. Carry an empty bottle through airport security and fill it on the other side; under TSA rules, liquids in your carry-on are limited to 3.4 ounces per container.

Best for: Flights over a few hours, and hotel rooms with forced-air heat.

6. A dim, warm night light - For finding your way at 3am

Switching on a bright overhead light in a strange room can leave you wide awake. Blue light has the strongest effect on melatonin, the hormone that rises as you get sleepy, so a small night light with a red or amber glow is the gentler choice for getting to the bathroom. A plug-in night light or a headlamp with a red setting both work.

The same applies to screens. In a 2015 study, people who read on a light-emitting tablet before bed took longer to fall asleep, made less melatonin, and felt less alert the next morning than when they read a printed book. On a trip, a paper book or an e-reader without a backlight is the better bedtime choice.

Best for: Unfamiliar rooms, and sharing a room with someone still asleep.

7. Compression socks - For long flights, if you’re at higher risk

Sitting still for hours raises the risk of a blood clot in the legs, though for most travelers it stays low. The CDC says any trip over four hours carries some risk, and that it’s higher for people over 40, people with obesity, pregnant women, people taking estrogen, and those who’ve had a clot or recent surgery.

Compression socks aren’t a sleep aid, but they belong in the bag for anyone in that group. The CDC suggests talking to a doctor first about whether you need them. For everyone else, the simpler advice is to walk around every hour or two and flex your ankles while seated.

Best for: Flights over four hours, for travelers with clot risk factors.

8. White noise - Useful, with limits

A white noise app or small machine can cover hallway sounds and voices. The evidence for it is weaker than you might expect, though. A 2021 review of 38 studies rated the quality of evidence that continuous noise improves sleep as very low. The 2026 lab study above also found that pink noise on its own reduced REM sleep, and that earplugs did a better job of blocking outside noise.

If you like it, keep the volume low and set it to play quietly in the background. For blocking a noisy room, earplugs come first.

Best for: People who already sleep with sound at home and want the same at night on a trip.

9. Melatonin - For jet lag, with care

Melatonin is mainly studied for one use, jet lag after crossing several time zones. A Cochrane review of 10 trials found that melatonin taken close to bedtime at the destination reduced jet lag for flights crossing five or more time zones, especially when flying east. Doses from 0.5 mg to 5 mg worked similarly, and higher doses added nothing.

Three cautions:

• Get the timing right. Taken at the wrong time of day, melatonin can shift your body clock the wrong way. Our guide to getting over jet lag faster covers when to take it.

• The label may be wrong. The FDA doesn’t approve supplements before they’re sold. When researchers tested 25 melatonin gummy products, 22 were inaccurately labeled, with actual amounts ranging from 74% to 347% of what the label said.

• Keep it away from children. Reports to US poison centers of children and teens swallowing melatonin rose 530% between 2012 and 2021. The NIH advises parents to talk to a health care provider before giving it to a child.

Check with your doctor before taking melatonin if you take other medicines, especially blood thinners, or have epilepsy.

Best for: Adults flying east across five or more time zones.

A packing checklist

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I sleep in hotel rooms?

Part of it is the “first-night effect.” On the first night somewhere new, one side of the brain stays more alert and reacts faster to unexpected sounds, so you sleep more lightly. It usually fades by the second night. Noise, light, and an unfamiliar bed add to it.

Do travel pillows actually work?

They make sleeping upright easier, since keeping the head comfortable is what makes sitting-up sleep so hard. There’s little research comparing designs. Look for one that supports your chin or the side of your head, not just the back of your neck.

Can you bring melatonin on a plane?

Yes. TSA allows pills in both carry-on and checked bags. Liquid melatonin is simplest in a container of 3.4 ounces or less.

How do you sleep on a long flight?

Choose a seat where you can recline and lean against something, use a neck pillow, earplugs, and an eye mask, and dress in layers. Get up and walk around every hour or two while you’re awake.

Should I take melatonin for jet lag?

In trials it reduced jet lag for people crossing five or more time zones, especially flying east. Take a small dose close to bedtime at your destination, not during the day. Talk to a doctor first if you take other medicines.

How do I sleep better on the first night of a trip?

Recreate what you can from home: a familiar bedtime routine, the room set cool and dark, and earplugs for noise. Keep your expectations modest, since the first night is often lighter for everyone, and avoid a long nap the next day.