Blogging Breather: 4 Wise Tips for Sleeping Soundly in the?Tropics

(Updated 10–23–2022)

Blogging From Paradise involves enjoying the sweet aspects of living in the tropics.

Most everyone loves toeing the gentle surf lapping onto a white sand beach.

Banana shakes by the pool? Check.

Or perhaps nursing an adult beverage of your choice will suffice.

Spending time in the sun for some fun feels relaxing. But sleeping in the tropics feels like a different experience, depending on where you choose to lay your head.

I wanted to write this post to help traveling bloggers enjoy both day and night in tropical hot spots.

Mothra

I snapped a shot.

After feeling the breeze of its wings.

Mothra landed in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I instantly thought; imagine if he landed on me? Without the Mothra twins around to keep him peaceful and serene?

Not a pretty picture.

Then I imagined him landing on me while I slept. Even worse look. Especially considering I’ve had roaches dance on me while sleeping and God knows what else during deeper slumbers.

Sleeping in the tropics can be a peaceful, serene experience if you are dog tired or have a routine in place. I prefer both; tiring myself through exercise and work but following a ritual to get to sleep in hot, humid spots with big bugs, skeeters and other challenges.

So tip A1: exercise. Walk for 30 to 60 minutes daily. Or jog if you get the OK from your doctor.

Follow these tips to fall to sleep soundly in the tropics.

1: Be Active Early in the?Day

I get busy early in the day.

Cooler temps and sometimes drier conditions means you can exercise or grab a bite to eat without sweating your rear end off.

This helps you slow down, calm down, relax and settle in later in the day.

Exercising during evening hours tends to keep you up late when your metabolism kicks in. I find that working out during late afternoon to later evening hours ramps up my metabolism something fierce. Perhaps this benefits my fat burning efforts — if I cared about such a thing — but the heat and humidity combined with my workout mojo keeps me awake until 1, 2 or even 3 in the morning.

Exercising early during the day allows my metabolism to slow down. Slowing it down settles me down for the evening, making it easier to fall to sleep.

Work out early. Slow down early evening.

Sleep well in the tropics.

2: Seal the House/Apartment/Hotel Room

I recall seeing a massive roach in Hanoi tap-dancing thru my hotel room.

Said roach was bigger than a 747. Flew faster than a 747 too.

After kicking him out of the room — seriously I almost had to kick him he was so big — I sealed the space beneath the door to prevent him from returning to the room.

Sleeping soundly gets easier if you feel good about being safe and secure from big bugs in the tropics.

After evicting an 8 inch long centipede from the crib in Chiang Mai my friends said they’d be sleeping with one eye open. I slept like a swaddling babe after closing all doors and sealing all possible entrance points to prevent a big bug breach.

Seal all possible entry points to your dwelling. Sleep stress-free, knowing that big bugs simply cannot enter the room.

Work on windows and doors. As long as you don’t damage either, use creative means like tape, well-positioned towels or whatever works to keep the big critters out.

Sleep well in a bug-free environment.

3: Make Skeeter Nets Your?Friend

If you live deep in the jungle, or by rice fields, getting sleep becomes difficult unless you use a mosquito net.

Virtually all homeowners and hotel managers know this and supply you with a net but if not, buy one immediately.

Forget big critters; hearing the buzz of mosquitoes during rest-time drives you mad. No way you sleep with 1 or 10 mosquitoes buzzing around your dome, feasting on your blood.

Use a mosquito net. Sleep in peace, tropic-style.

Kelli and I used mosquito nets in the jungles of Costa Rica as well as in the rice fields of Bali. Mosquito-free sleep tends to be peaceful sleep.

Note; check old mosquito nets for holes. Even small holes allow in pesky mosquitos. Either replace the net or seal the holes.

4: Drink Ample?Water

I cannot stress how many times I woke in the middle of the night being totally dehydrated in the tropics, suffering through insomnia sessions until I downed 2–3 glasses of bottled water.

Ditto for late nights where I couldn’t pass out because I dried out.

Hot, humid tropical conditions goad you to drink a gallon or more of the wet stuff daily. So…drink it!

Drink only bottled water. Save Fiji and Panama, I have never lived in tropical areas where tap water was safe to drink.

Binge drink early in the day. Hydrate early. Eliminate during the day. Avoid 15 trips to the toilet during the overnight period.

Bonus Tip: Prepare to Be Uncomfortable

No matter what tips you follow it feels uncomfortable while acclimating to hot, humid climates. The body and mind need some time to get used to heat and humidity. Prepare yourself to be a little bit uncomfortable during this adjustment period.

Air conditioned rooms make for relatively comfortable sleeping conditions but leaving the house for trips means heat and high humidity levels. Don’t be surprised if you sleep poorly for a day or two while you adjust to the sweltering climate in tropical areas.

Conclusion

Sleeping well in the tropics enhances your trips to places like Bali, Fiji, Thailand and Panama.

Follow these tips diligently to get a good night’s sleep in tropical climates.

Originally published at https://www.bloggingfromparadise.com on October 23, 2022.