For you music buffs, I’m not referring to The Darkness, a throwback band one-hit-wonder.  

I know there is a chance I will have less-than-optimal sleep on travel days. I traveled from Arizona to California and experienced a one-hour time difference. The weather is different here. It was the first night sleeping in a hotel room.  

Sunday night, my Oura ring gave me a score of 88, which is above the cut-off of 85 for a good night’s sleep. I had total sleep of 8h 7m with a sleep efficiency of 92%. By most measures, this would be considered a good night of sleep but I felt off. I woke up groggy to an alarm Monday morning. I didn’t have my usual level of energy throughout the day. Hard data are good, but you also have to listen to your body.

It occurred to me last night that there are all sorts of junk lights in the hotel room. Outside light is not quite blocked by the curtains. Light comes in from under the room door. Microwave light and alarm clock light (until I unplugged both). Some strange green light emanating from behind the TV. Smoke detector light. 

I used to think all this light didn’t bother me. It’s not a problem at home where I can control the sleep environment. A hotel room is like that famous box of chocolates–you never know what you’re going to get.

Aside--Actually, I refuse to eat those chocolates without knowing what I’m getting. Who created this idea that eating chocolate should be a surprise?? The last time I ate a piece of chocolate without knowing, it was some sort of orange-filled, disgusting creation that I spit out immediately. 

Last night I wore a sleep mask to block out all the light. This is the only change I made. According to the Oura ring, my sleep score was the same at 88. My efficiency was 94%, and I had 24 more minutes of deep sleep. Even though I had less total sleep of 7h 32m, I woke up before my alarm refreshed and ready to go.

You may ask how I felt better with less sleep. There is a very technical answer, but I will summarize it. There are different levels of sleep that occur in regular cycles. It takes on average about 1.5 hours to complete each cycle. Three complete cycles amount to about 7.5 hours of sleep. Last night I achieved three complete cycles, and this morning I woke up at the ideal time with no alarm. The previous night I had started another cycle, which is why I required an alarm and woke up groggy.

The great thing about sleep is every night is a new experiment. It starts with tracking or just listening to your body and making adjustments. You should control your sleeping environment as much as possible. I saw the light, but for sleep complete darkness is best.