Video LoadingVideo UnavailableClick to playTap to playThe video will auto-play soon8CancelPlay nowAs a beauty and travel journalist, I love staying in hotels. Whether they’re low cost or luxe, I never get tired of the excitement of a tightly tucked bed, a kettle in my room and somebody else cleaning up after me. But for all these little joys, I actually often struggle to get to sleep when I’m staying in a hotel. Maybe it’s the unfamiliar setting (or maybe it’s the extra glass of wine with dinner), but I usually spend those precious eight hours tossing and turning. And I’m clearly not alone here. According to Mental Health UK, almost 1 in 5 people in the UK aren’t getting enough sleep. So when I heard that London hotel Pan Pacific was aiming to address this sleep deficit by offering a series of extras and top tips specifically designed to give guests their best sleep ever, I just had to try it out.
Pan Pacific hotel is located near London’s Liverpool Street
(Image: Pan Pacific)
Pan Pacific’s Sensory Sleep Experience gives guests a selection of snooze-boosting additions in its suites, including a pillow menu, a Mela weighted blanket – proven to help soothe anxiety – and an innovative Chilisleep Ooler Sleep System. This high-tech piece of equipment adjusts and regulates the warmth of your bedding using circulating water to whatever your personal warmth preferences, with the temperature adjustable from 13-46 degrees. Guests booking the sleep programme can also enjoy a guide to relaxing yoga poses (you’ll also find a mat in your room), relaxing reading materials and a special room service menu of sleep-boosting drinks and snacks, available to order between 9pm-11pm.
The package includes a weighted blanket and temperature-controlled bedding, said to aid in a restful night’s sleep
(Image: Laura Mulley)
Keen to optimise my zzzs to the max, I prepared for the night throughout the day by skipping my usual midday coffee and had a lunch that included almonds – a source of both magnesium and melatonin, said to encourage sleep. I admit that I did enjoy a glass of red in Pan Pacific’s excellent pan-Asian Straits Kitchen, on the rather dubious evidence that a small amount of red wine may help with sleep… Fed and watered, I settled into my room to properly begin the sleep prep. After stretching my body out into a few of the yoga moves, I ran a deep, warm bath, sinking into soothing Diptyque bubbles and salts provided in the bathroom. Next I set the temperature of my sheets. As someone who hates both having cold feet AND feeling sweaty in bed, I opted for a middle temperature of around 25 degrees. The Ooler system does make a quiet whirring sound as it regulates the temperature, but as someone who quite likes a bit of white noise to drift off to, I found it soothing rather than annoying. Bedding turned on, I snuggled in under the weighted blanket and skipped my usual late-night telly in favour of a chamomile tea and a few chapters of my book before lights out at a respectable 10:30pm.
Having a warm bath 1-2 hours before bed can help you drift off
(Image: Laura Mulley)
Laura ready for a good night’s sleep
(Image: Laura Mulley)
And the result? I honestly had one of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had in a hotel room. I woke up feeling refreshed and revitalised, and ready for a busy day – and aware more than ever of the importance of a good night’s sleep. While sleeping in a luxury hotel on a regular basis is sadly unachievable for most, there are a few sleep tips I’ll be taking home with me. I’ll definitely be investing in a weighted blanket for my bed at home (we love this one, currently reduced from £51.99 to £23.99), and I’ve discovered a new-found fondness for a cup of chamomile tea before bed. * Pan Pacific London’s Sensory Sleep Package is available to book as a supplementary add-on to any stay, with lead-in room rate from £400 and the Sensory Sleep Package priced at £150.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterMore OnTravelHealth
