RV travel is definitely about adventure and fun – but it should also be about rest and rejuvenation. Sleep seems like the simplest thing in the world, until it’s not. Whether you’re on the road for a weekend or a lengthy cross-country road trip, getting a good night’s sleep in your home on wheels is essential. It may be difficult, however, to slip into slumber at the campground if the unfamiliar environment disrupts your sleep. Fortunately, a few simple changes can turn your RV into a restful retreat. Here are seven tips to help you sleep better in your RV.
1.) Upgrade Your Padding with a Mattress Topper
While RV manufacturers are improving their efforts to include real residential mattresses in RVs, the reality is that your RV may not come with a high-quality mattress, or the included mattress may not be a good fit for your personal sleep style. The good news is that you can improve your sleeping surface without totally replacing the mattress. A mattress topper can add a lot of comfort without being a big expense. Consider adding a cotton pillow top if you want to sleep in a cloud, or add a memory foam topper for the ultimate pressure point relief. If you have trouble finding one to fit your RV mattress, many can be cut down to the right size.
2.) A New Mattress Can Be a Whole New World
Sometimes, a topper just can’t add the comfort you desire. In that case, check out RV Mattress, which offers mattresses in more than a dozen dimensions, including those commonly found in RVs. It is easy to find a perfect fit for your RV, whether you have a short queen or an RV king–sized frame. These mattresses offer features such as cooling-infused foam, breathable inner coils, and quilted plush toppers, which make them a serious upgrade to your standard RV bed. A new RV mattress is an investment worth making if you want to sleep as well on the road as you do at home.
3.) Splurge on Hotel-Style Bedding
Did you stock your RV with cast-off bedding from your house? While this is a great money-saving trick, it may cost you comfort at bedtime. Consider purchasing new sheets, pillows, and comforters to make your RV bed as luxurious as a nice hotel. This small indulgence helps you feel like you are truly on vacation. When possible, buy exact copies of your home pillows since your body is accustomed to that particular setup. Also, wash your bedding right before you embark on a trip, so it smells nice and fresh and reminds you of home.
4.) Keep Cool
Did you know that studies show we sleep better when we are cooler? Our body temperature lowers as we get sleepy, and lowering the thermostat can help facilitate the process. RVs can be a bit stuffy if you don’t have enough air moving inside. Placing a fan in your RV bedroom better circulates the air and cools off your sleep environment. It also introduces white nose, which leads to our next tip…
5.) Add Noise
Have you ever stayed in a campground that was too quiet or too noisy? It’s difficult to sleep when you are hyper-focused on noise —or the lack thereof. Adding a sound machine can help reduce the distraction. If you don’t want to haul around another gadget, try a white noise app to your phone or tablet. Some gentle background noise may be what you need to relax in an unfamiliar environment.
6.) Check Your Family
Do you travel with a snorer or with night owls playing video games and grabbing snacks all hours of the night? We mean this in the nicest way possible, but your family may be disrupting your sleep. After all, you are sleeping in much closer quarters than at home. In this case, your best bet would be to block them out with a comfortable sleeping mask and a good set of earplugs. You can even find masks with features like 100% light blockage, built-in headphones, increased ventilation, and more. You may love spending time with family during the day, but try tuning them out totally at night.
7.) Check Your Lighting
When you’re feeling restless in your RV at night, look around to see if lighting could be a problem. Some campgrounds have safety lights along the roadways or on buildings, and your RV windows may be letting in more light than you are used to. Similarly, the morning light may fill your RV with sunshine before you are ready to greet the day. Consider covering your windows blackout shades. Appliances are another overlooked source of irritating lights. You may need to put a piece of tape over any small-but-mighty lights.
8.) Develop a Thoughtful Sleep Routine
If you’ve had an infant, you understand the importance of developing a sleep routine. Building a step-by-step schedule helps the baby unwind with a bath, a warm drink, and a bedtime story. It’s comforting and predictable, and before long, their little bodies automatically get sleepier as they go through the steps. Try applying the same sleep science when you are traveling in your RV. Camping may knock you off your usual schedule, especially if you are in a different time zone. But you can develop a step-by-step nightly routine to cue your body that it’s time to sleep.
Follow these tips for a better, more restful sleep in your RV. Make your campground bedroom a cozy cocoon, and before long, you’ll be drifting off into dreamland until the smell of sizzling bacon wakes you up in the morning.
About the Author: Kampgrounds of America
Kampgrounds of America is the largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds in the world, with over 500 locations across the United States and Canada. Founded in Billings, MT in 1962, KOA’s family of campground brands – KOA Journey, KOA Holiday and KOA Resort – today serve more than a million camping families each year. KOA is dedicated to “connecting people to the outdoors and each other” by providing people with a variety of camping experiences and the information they need to make the most of their camping trip. Read more of their camping and travel resources by visiting KOA.com/blog.
