Airbnb is taking themed accommodations to the next level with its new Icons category, featuring a collection of stays that offer an immersive experience centered around music, film, television, art, sports and more.
15.04.2024 - 12:15 / forbes.com / Hudson Yards
Travel certainly plays a role in our circadian rhythms and the way we sleep. A rather suprising joint One Poll-National Sleep Awareness Month study (2023) showed 3 out of 4 participants reported getting a more restful sleep in hotel rooms over sleeping at home.
Located in New York’s Hudson Yards, the Equinox Hotel is known for it’s advanced sleep programming; including high-tech, ultra-modern rooms kitted out with double-paned windows, black-out curtains, optimal temperatures (66 degrees) and all-natural, spring-free mattresses with temperature-regulating fibers (research shows a correlation between sleep and body temperature). Just below, Equinox’s resident slumber expert Dr. Chris Winter shares a handful of tips for inducing relaxation — and hopefully leading to a positive sleep experience at home.
At first it might sound daunting — however, a cold morning shower or cold plunge offers an exhilarating, energizing start to your day. “It’s a great way to facilitate catecholamine (a neurohormone) release, but also acts as a great circadian marker to let your brain know the day has begun,” says Dr. Winter. You can also visit a cryochamber, and for those who live in colder climates — simply stepping outside in colder months counts. Winter follows the Lumi Therapy model and typically plunges upon waking or after an intense workout.
A general rule of thumb: workout out before 4PM, known to be the natural peak of our core body temperature. And, if you tend to workout later in the day, consider cryotherapy immediately afterwards to get body temperature down quickly. “This will help prevent the later exercise from disturbing your sleep later on,” Winter says.
About two hours before bedtime, Dr. Winter recommends a warm sauna session or enjoying hot bath or shower. “Cooling down from this will lead the way to a fantastic sleep,” he says. On the road? Winter uses the SaunaBox’s portable steam sauna and should space be an issue, you can opt for sauna blankets.
No surprises here: healthy eating supports healthy sleep. Dr. Winter suggests nourishing meals like mushroom soup, chicory salad (long lauded as a sleep supporting food) and halibut. “The adaptogens of mushrooms and halibut high B6 levels will help with sleeping that night,” Dr. Winters says, adding to lessen your alcohol and caffeine intake. Also, give yourself plenty of time to digest before bed.
After dinner, keep lighting low (Equinox Hotels rooms offers several dimming options). Winter recommends reading lights near the bed, and when it's time for slumber, “lower the shades and sleep in total darkness,” he says (you can also bring the Equinox sleep experience home).
Consider blue-green light blocking glasses (Winter likes Swanwick blue-blockers).
Airbnb is taking themed accommodations to the next level with its new Icons category, featuring a collection of stays that offer an immersive experience centered around music, film, television, art, sports and more.
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Thinking about travel to Europe this summer? I’ll whisper this two-word, game-changing suggestion in your ear: Swiss Bliss. Switzerland is a spectacular vacation escape, promising plentiful pampering, playful diversions, culture (music festivals, art experiences, unique museums—from sports to science, film to food) and stellar gastronomy. Taste Chasselas wine; its white grapes are grown in the terraced Lavaux vineyards along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva, where vintners produce artisanal batches that are rarely exported, so 98 percent of their singular sips can only be savored within the country. Discover abundant natural beauty and peaceful hideaways. Hike Alpine mountains. Swim in glistening lakes. Picnic amid wildflower meadows. For high-speed outings, ample opportunities abound: boating, road cycling, mountain biking, paragliding, skydiving and white-water rafting. Transportation within this tidy nation, especially via its SBB trains, is smooth and swift, accessing scores of destinations. (For itinerary details and surprising delights: My Switzerland Tourism.) Internationally renowned for training extraordinary hoteliers, hospitality is a revered profession, which adds smiles to your stay. Choose from a wide variety of accommodations—campgrounds to chalets to castles. If your vacay preference tends toward one-of-a-kind, five-star hotels, this article shines on three favorites, which are among French entrepreneur and winemaker Michel Reybier’s impressive collection of wellness-promoting properties.
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At the risk of sounding like a culinary simpleton, I’ve always been a fan of buffets.
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Passing over the Atlas Mountains in 1925, the French military photographer Marcelin Flandrin spotted a Barbary lion walking through the sand. Flandrin had flown the route often enough to realize that the sighting was uncommon. He took a picture, which he published as a postcard sold to travelers visiting Casablanca.
If your sights are set on a trip to Europe, be travel ready with these helpful tips from ALG Vacations.
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