Struggle to sleep in hotels on the first night? This is why

Hotels put a lot of effort into ensuring guests have a good night’s sleep, with luxury brands investing in seriously pricey mattresses and sheets, and even offering pillow menus.

But that can’t stop the impact of what sleep specialists call the “first-night effect”. Sufferers find themselves taking longer to fall asleep and waking up more often during the night, and it can affect everyone from frequent travellers to those who rarely take a vacation.

The phenomenon has been confirmed by dozens of studies and is believed to have evolutionary roots, said Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland.

“It’s assumed to be an adaptation...