Why Camping Might Be The Cure For Insomnia

The National Sleep Foundation reports that 57% of women and 51% of men struggle with insomnia at least a few nights per week. Now researchers think the key to healthy sleep patterns is as simple as getting back to basics and into the great outdoors.

As modern life continues to revolve around screens that emit melatonin-disrupting blue light, our sleep cycles are suffering. To find out just how much, Kenneth Wright, director of the sleep and chronobiology lab at the University of Colorado in Boulder, sent a team of researchers into the Rocky Mountains for six days.

Without any access to artificial light from either phones or flash lights, the campers became more attuned to the sun, going to bed 2.5 hours earlier than normal and clocking up a solid 10 hours of sleep, compared to their usual 7.5. In the day time they were a lot more active and received 13 times the amount of sunlight exposure they would have back in the city.

After returning from the trip levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone) in the camper’s bodies was monitored throughout the day. The researchers found it started to rise 2.5 hours earlier than it had before they had departed, showing their circadian clocks had naturally, quickly adjusted to the light-dark cycle of nature.

“This should inspire people to look at all of the environmental factors that affect sleep rather than looking at the internal biological factors. There are some people who say ‘I can’t go to sleep early because I’m a late type, it’s in my genes’. But it’s exposure to artificial light that drives our clock later so we struggle to get out of bed in the morning,” Derk-Jan Dijk, director of the Sleep Lab at the University of Surrey, told The Guardian.

“I don’t think the take home from this study should be ‘let’s go camping’. We should look carefully at the environment in our homes and our bedrooms, at the light and temperature in the evening, and see how that affects our decision to go to sleep,” Dijk said.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.