Full Breakdown
The First-Night Effect Reduces Sleep When Staying Somewhere New
8/11/2026, 9:30:25 PM
The First-Night Effect in Practice
Travelers such as Robinson Leoni, a sales director for a tech company, report taking longer to fall asleep, waking more often, and getting roughly two hours less sleep on the first night away—about five hours versus his usual seven hours at home. Research cited by multiple outlets finds that, on average, people lose 20 to 30 minutes of sleep the first night in an unfamiliar setting.
Evolutionary and Neurological Explanations
Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland, describes the phenomenon as an adaptation response: the sleeping brain stays more vigilant in a new environment. Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor and sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, adds that neuroimaging shows heightened activity in the frontal lobe—an area linked to the deepest stage of sleep—suggesting part of the brain remains partially awake, a pattern he likens to the split-brain sleep of dolphins. Both experts note that the effect tends to fade after the first night.
Additional Triggers and Individual Differences
Mayeli suggests that evolutionary caution may be amplified by modern stressors; anxiety, travel fatigue, and environmental irritants (e.g., flashing smoke-alarm lights) can worsen the effect. Age also matters: children, adolescents, older adults, and those with higher baseline anxiety are more susceptible, while people in their twenties appear least affected. Conversely, individuals who normally struggle with sleep at home may experience improvement when the new setting lacks prior negative associations.
Recommendations for Better First-Night Sleep
Lisa Strauss, a psychologist specializing in cognitive-behavioral treatment of sleep disorders, advises standard sleep-hygiene practices—cool, dark rooms; consistent bedtime; and screen-free periods before sleep. She recommends personalizing the new bed by reading, engaging in familiar quiet activities, or bringing a favorite pillow or blanket. For highly anxious travelers, visualizing a safe, familiar natural setting and repeating calming phrases can lower hyper-vigilance.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I feel normal, you know, no stress, nothing, but it’s just I notice I wake up continuously,” — Robinson Leoni, a sales director for a tech company
- “It’s assumed to be an adaptation response that the sleeping brain remains vigilant in this unfamiliar environment,” — Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland
- “They are saying that, like in dolphins, part of the brain is awake when you are sleeping,” — Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor and sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh
- “May you know that you are safe. May you know that you are loved. May you be at peace.” — Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor and sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh
