Sleep tourism: why we are travelling across the world to go to bed

Forget infinity pools and all-you-can-eat buffets. The latest luxury travel trend is far less glamorous… going on holiday simply to get some sleep. What does this say about modern life, though?

Remember when holidays were all about fun? Getting up early for your flight, filling your itinerary with sunrise hikes and late-night dinners. You would come home and show off your pics to prove you'd "made the most of it."

Now, we're booking holidays to do the exact opposite. Welcome to the rise of sleep tourism, one of this year's fastest-growing wellness travel trends. From hotels offering pillow menus and circadian lighting to retreats with sleep coaches, blackout rooms, and digital detoxes, a growing number of people are travelling with one goal in mind. Getting a proper night's sleep!

It might sound rather silly and OTT, but the science suggests we're not chasing luxury but trying to recover something we've lost. According to the World Health Organisation, insufficient sleep has become a significant public health concern, while the CDC estimates that around one in three adults don't get enough sleep on a regular basis. With rising stress levels, many of us have become remarkably good at staying awake, and surprisingly bad at switching off. It's no surprise, then, that the Global Wellness Institute has identified sleep tourism as one of the fastest-growing areas within wellness travel. But can a holiday really improve your sleep?

Well, sometimes. Research consistently shows that sleep is influenced by much more than simply going to bed earlier. Exposure to natural daylight helps regulate our circadian rhythm, while regular movement, lower stress levels and reduced evening screen time all contribute to better sleep quality. So really, many of the things that naturally happen on holiday, which can be walking more, spending time outdoors, and stepping away from work emails, also happen to be some of the best things you can do for your sleep.

One landmark study published in Nature found that just a week of camping without artificial light significantly reset participants' body clocks, bringing their natural sleep patterns closer to sunrise and sunset. While some of us aren't into pitching tents in the wilderness, it does highlight just how quickly our environment can influence our sleep.

So of course, luxury hotels are now trying to recreate it. Some properties offer rooms designed to minimise noise and light pollution, while others include aromatherapy, guided meditation, temperature-controlled mattresses or even sleep consultations before you arrive. It's wellness hospitality meeting neuroscience, like an elevated spa experience.

But, as the camping study proves, you don't need to book a five-star retreat to reap the benefits. The popularity of sleep tourism points to a bigger cultural shift. For years, being busy was worn as a badge of honour and sleep was something we all had to sacrifice in pursuit of productivity. Today, we're beginning to recognise that good sleep is the foundation of our wellbeing.

During sleep, our bodies repair tissues, regulate hormones and consolidate learning from the day. It's arguably the most powerful recovery tool we have, and unlike many wellness trends, it's completely free. So is that why it is the ultimate luxury?

In a world that constantly demands our attention, uninterrupted rest has become surprisingly difficult to come by. The biggest lesson from the sleep tourism trend isn't that we all need to book a wellness retreat, but that spaces like our bedrooms deserve just as much attention as our holiday destinations. You don’t need to travel across the world to get extra sleep, just upstairs one hour earlier. But hey, if you want to book the ultimate sleep tourism getaway, then that's all good too. We definitely aren’t jealous.