Everyone knows the stress of moving into a new home can cause sleepless nights, but a recent survey shows that it can take longer to return to normalcy than many people might have believed.
Healthy Sleep, a researcher of sleep quality, quizzed more than 1,000 Americans who had moved home in the past year to learn how the stress of this affected their sleep, and how long it took them to get back to a normal resting schedule after the move.
Not surprisingly, 64% of respondents said their sleep quality was affected by their move. Another 34% said they slept even worse after moving, and 46% 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.
The reason for the negative impact on sleep quality is stress, Healthy Sleep’s experts say. Another reason is that once people move, they take time to get used to their new surroundings.
Still, there is good news. Once settled in, most people can get a good night’s sleep. However the type of home people moved into has an effect on the quality of their sleep. For example, 70% of respondents who experienced worse sleep after a move were living in a mobile or manufactured home. But those who moved into townhomes generally said their sleep quality improved very fast.
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.
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, taking delta 8 gummies, limiting caffeine late in the day, and adjusting the room temperature helped them resume their good sleep patterns more quickly.