Moving to a new home can impact sleep quality, but how long can you expect sleep schedules to be disrupted? Returning to normalcy can take longer than you might think.
Healthy Sleep, a firm that researches sleep quality, surveyed more than 1,000 Americans who moved in the past year to learn how the move affected their sleep and how they eventually got a better night’s sleep after their move.
Sixty-four percent of respondents said their sleep quality was affected by moving to a new home, with 34% saying they slept worse after they moved, according to the study. Forty-six percent said they slept less immediately after moving.
“Just one night of poor sleep can cause significant changes to your brain and body, but after numerous days of poor sleep, it could take weeks to feel fully recovered,” the study notes.
Not surprising, moving can bring on a lot of stress and that can impact sleep quality. More than half of respondents pointed to stress as the main reason for losing sleep, followed by unfamiliar surroundings.
But the study did suggest that some may be able to expect a good night’s sleep after a move. For example, the type of home people relocated to had a significant impact on the quality of sleep. Nearly 70% of those who experienced worse sleep had moved to a mobile or manufactured home. Those moving to townhouses, on the other hand, were the most likely to report an increase in their quality of sleep immediately after moving.
Further, sleepless nights may stick around for awhile after you move. Men reported their sleep being negatively affected for 13 nights immediately after they moved; women felt the effects, on average, for 16 nights. By age group, baby boomers had the most difficulty getting quality sleep after relocating.
How to Get Your Zzz’s Back
To get a better night’s sleep after their move, respondents said, unpacking and setting up the bedroom furnishings as soon as possible helped them the most. In fact, survey respondents who unpacked or set up their bedroom as soon as possible were the least likely to have their sleep negatively affected by moving.
Also, they said maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, limiting caffeine late in the day, and adjusting the room temperature helped them resume their good sleep patterns more quickly.
Source: “Moving and Sleep,” Healthy Sleep (June 2019)
