Learning To Sleep During Iceland’s Midnight Sun

Is the Sun Really Up All Night in Iceland During the Summer?

My trip to Iceland was amazing, and I was wowed every day by all the amazing things I got to see during our road trip. Since I visited during June, I was treated to days that almost never ended, which was awesome because it meant we were almost never in danger of losing the light or getting to a particular site too late to see the awesomeness.

However, getting to sleep was a little wonky, not only because of the jet lag but because of the fact that the sun was up for most of the day. And we’re not just talking an early sunrise and a late sunset. When we were in Iceland, the sun “rose” at three in the morning and didn’t set until midnight. However, the sky was never even really dark during those few “night” hours.

I knew that I’d be facing some potential difficulties in getting to sleep due to the extremely long days, so I did a little homework before we left to figure out if there was anything I could do to make it easier to sleep despite the long hours of daylight. The last thing I wanted to do was run myself ragged without sleep, especially when I was looking at taking something like 20,000 steps a day during our adventures.

Now, I wasn’t in Iceland for a long time, which meant I didn’t really need to worry about any long-term habits that would help me sleep during the midnight sun. But now that I’ve traveled there in the summer, I’m definitely going to use what I’ve learned when I visit other Nordic countries in the future. Getting enough sleep is super important when you’re traveling, especially when you have a packed itinerary.

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Avoiding Opening the Curtains After “Bedtime”

You might be one of those people who can wake up in the middle of the night and get back to sleep without a lot of effort, but you might have a tougher time getting to sleep or staying asleep if you see a bright light when your body is supposed to be creating melatonin, and your circadian rhythm is rolling along. There is actually some science to back this up, which means you should definitely rethink opening the curtains at 2 AM to see if the sun is still up.

One of the mistakes I made when I was trying to get to sleep one night was going outside our hotel and taking pictures of the daytime at 10 PM. Not only was I not used to the time change, but seeing that much bright light at 10 PM just reinforced my body’s feeling that it wasn’t time to get to sleep quite yet. Knowing I needed to get up early the next day for more adventures, I should have stayed inside with the curtains drawn.

And honestly, that’s really all it takes to remain asleep, or at least to convince your body that it’s time to sleep. Turn off your phone screen, avoid watching television, shut off all the lights in the room, and close the curtains. You can even unplug any nightlights you see, as well as cover up the little red lights on various pieces of electronic equipment. Any light is disruptive light when you’re trying to sleep while the sun is brightly shining.

If you find that the curtains aren’t truly blocking all the light, I would recommend using a covering for your eyes, like a sleep mask, to make sure none of the light from the outside gets under your lids. It’s quite jarring to wake up to go to the bathroom at 2 AM and notice the bright light coming from behind the curtains. A sleep mask can help when the curtains aren’t doing their job.

Maintaining a Consistent Sleep Schedule

One of the best habits you can engage in while traveling is maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, which will train your body to naturally feel sleepy around the same time each evening, no matter the time of day or circumstance. Not only is getting to sleep at the same time each night a good idea for avoiding issues with the midnight sun, but it’s also an excellent way to push through any jet lag you might be experiencing.

Los Angeles to Iceland isn’t an extreme time difference (like seven or eight hours), but you still notice it when you arrive. When the Icelanders are getting ready for bed, you’re thinking about lunch. And seeing the sun stay up well into the evening can exacerbate any issues you might have with the jet lag. Putting yourself to bed in a dark environment at the same time each night is super good for your overall well-being while traveling in the far north in the summer.

One thing you’ll want to strive for when you land is to make sure you go to bed or stay awake according to the local time. If you take a red-eye flight to Iceland (a common occurrence if you’re traveling from the west, like North or South America), you might find yourself landing in Iceland at 7 AM or so. Even if you’re able to find a place to sleep or check into your hotel, because it will feel like the middle of the night to your body, try to stay awake as long as you can and go to bed at the same time as the locals.

When we traveled to Iceland and landed early in the morning, we took the opportunity to get breakfast in Reykjavik, and then after walking around a bit, we went to a hot spring spa place to chillax for several hours. Even though it was summer in Iceland (or just about to be anyway), the weather was chilly and rainy on our first day, and visiting the hot springs was much better for our bodies than going to bed straight away.

Creating a Fun and Active Itinerary

I have trouble sleeping if I don’t keep up an active schedule, and I can find it really difficult to fall asleep if I haven’t engaged in a cardiovascular workout. Sure, I can get tired enough from lack of sleep that I’ll fall asleep eventually, but I find it much easier to fall asleep and remain so when I’ve been busy that day and have created an active itinerary.

Obviously, it’s kind of difficult to accomplish some cardio when you’re sitting on a plane all day to reach your destination, and seeing the sun up at midnight (or at least a bright sky) can wreak havoc on your ability to sleep. Not only is the sun working against your ability to sleep, but your body might simply not feel tired enough for you to fall asleep.

When you open your eyes and see light, especially when it comes from the sky, your body will start to wake up naturally, despite your efforts to remain asleep. If you’re not really that tired, and you keep waking up in the middle of the night only to see the light of day coming from behind the curtains, you could find yourself sitting awake for several hours without falling asleep.

Although the method isn’t foolproof, getting some exercise or going on an active guided tour during the day can make it less likely that you’ll wake up in the middle of the night and reduce your risk of accidentally seeing light. My itineraries often include a lot of walking, and my travels throughout Iceland certainly saw us walking several miles a day. These active days really helped us acclimate quickly to the time zone, as well as reduce the potential problems we had with seeing the sun up so late into the evening.

Using Artificial Means of Staying Asleep

In a pinch, I’ve been known to use caffeine pills to stay awake and melatonin supplements to fall asleep, but I try not to rely on these items exclusively while traveling. I feel like the caffeine is truly only useful if I absolutely have to remain awake for a particular activity or at a specific time. Obviously, if I’m driving a rental car, I want to stay awake, and I will drink an extra cup of coffee or use a caffeine supplement to keep going.

However, I find that it’s best to just have these items as a “just in case” option. If you’re not used to taking a sleep supplement, taking one for the first time while traveling can actually make it more difficult to remain asleep. You never know how your body’s going to react to those pills. They come in all sorts of different strengths, too, so it’s important to always check the bottles before you use a particular sleep aid.

Your body will probably feel a little strange anyway when you’re sleeping in a new bed and in a room that’s not configured like the one you’re used to at home. The pillow will probably feel different, and the orientation of the doors will be different, too. Using a sleep aid can make these differences feel more pronounced, especially when you wake up early for your guided tour all disoriented after an artificially induced REM cycle.

Now, I always take some caffeine pills with me on my travels because you just never know what you’ll face as far as staying awake or staying asleep goes. Personally, I don’t think using pills is the best option for fighting against the intrusion of daylight in the middle of the night, but I do like having the option available should I find myself completely unable to sleep or stay awake.

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