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Bin the sleeping pills. Say goodbye to restless nights. Your next holiday might just hold the secret to a better slumber. While we rest our head on a pillow and dream, sleep has the power to recharge and reboot the body. This can impact everything from concentration and mental health to weight gain and blood pressure. So if you struggle to snooze, it’s time to take back control and start feeling fresher and happier.
Restore your balance between yin and yang at Lefay Resort & Spa on Lake Garda. A new five-day sleep programme combines Chinese medicine with Western techniques to prevent insomnia by focusing on imbalances in energy. Your energy status will be assessed by a doctor on arrival so you receive the correct treatment, whether that’s an intense and vigorous massage to manage stress levels, a temperature-regulated aroma-hydrotherapy session, heated acupuncture or a prescribed herbal tea.
Everyone knows stress adds to restlessness, but with the Infinite Lifestyle concierge concept at Ikos Andalusia, you can learn how to take time out from it all. As soon as you arrive, you will be gifted with every complimentary service you can think of: beachfront snacks, fruits and drinks served to your sunbed, wine recommendations from an award- winning sommelier, Michelin-starred menus, an evening of live music, and even the use of a Mini for the family, so you can truly experience a lifestyle free from pressure and routine.
Regular exercise combined with a good diet can enhance your sleep habits and patterns, which is why The Capra, Saas-Fee, perched up in the Swiss Alps, embodies all of these elements in its Peak Health programme.
There’s no need for calorie restriction or exercising until exhaustion; feel free as you hike up tree-lined peaks with an alpine expert at the freshest time of day and unwind in the afternoons with freshly prepared meals from holistic nutritionists. From the soul to the skin, your body will undergo a natural and life-enhancing detox surrounded by wide-open blue skies and crisp summer air.
- At the Capra, Saas-Fee Switzerland
A third of us in the UK suffer from insomnia, a statistic that has led Cap Maison in St Lucia to introduce a new sleep-focused retreat. On arrival you’ll work with an expert on personalised sleep strategies, such as having your patterns monitored and analysed with a Fitbit during your stay, enjoying a sunrise breathing workshop, taking up meditation and placing a soothing scent on your pillow. Alongside this, special treatments including reflexology to deepen relaxation, Japanaese Reiki healing and aromatherapy massages will have you nodding off in no time.
According to National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, there are five regions where people have the lowest rates of chronic disease and live longer than anywhere else in the world – they are called ‘Blue Zones’. People living in these areas get up to eight to 10 hours of kip every night, which experts say is the optimal amount to revitalise our brains and bodies.
Buettner is sharing these life lessons through a unique Blue Zones programme at Borgo Egnazia in Puglia. Certified instructors will provide you with personal, science-based tips, such as rising with the sun and retiring to bed as it goes down at night, to achieve a fuller, bolder life.
Outdoor living doesn’t get much more wild and remote as &Beyond’s Lake Manyara Tree Lodge. Enveloped in ancient mahogany forest, these private Tanzanian eco-treehouses are crafted from local timber and makuti palm fronds. A deep slumber in the open air
is an easy way to replenish your oxygen levels and boost serotonin – even more so when you are cocooned in the rich foliage and the night sounds of Lake Manyara national park. You’ll get a closer look at some of the world’s largest land mammals too, when visiting elephants pass through the camp.
- At the &Beyond’s Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Tanzania
The best way to reduce jetlag is to schedule your naps to the new time zone of your destination, which is difficult to do when you have a flight interrupting the pattern. This is where Jetlogic comes in. The freedom of private flights means that you can set your own sleep agenda; choose to take an evening trip or head off first thing in the morning – whatever will leave you more refreshed. More to the point, Jetlogic ensures your favourite food is on board, creates a luxurious, quiet space for you to lie back in, and even sorts travel arrangements for your pet too.