Sleep Better in Bali: 4 Items Every Visitor Needs
Are you a light sleeper and struggle to sleep while travelling like us?
Having travelled to Bali in 2016, we were prepared for the various noise sounds. But, I think as you get older, your needs and wants for your sleep patterns change tremendously.
Our needs are a solid sleep and GOOD nights rest no matter where we are – at home, travelling for one night or being in Bali for two months.
Sleep is a huge priority for us and while on our healthy journey, we have come to realise how important sleep really is for your overall health.
And no, it’s not just about “you are lazy”, “you love to sleep too much” and all the other annoying sleep comments people have to say.
Good sleep health has many positive benefits, such as regulating your hormones (PCOS girlies will know), boosting your immune system, having faster muscle recovery, reducing inflammation (a huge problem for us), improving overall brain performance and the list goes on.
Since making sleep health a priority in our lives, we thought we were prepared for our two month trip to Bali.
Well well…
Don’t worry, in this blog post we will cover 4 items every visitor should bring on their trip to Bali
Why Sleep Health Matters So Much to Us
So some of you might be wondering, why do we take our sleep health so seriously? For the past two years we have been on a dedicated, holistic health journey, working with various medical teams to improve our overall health due to our PCOS symptoms.
Healthy sleep patterns play a huge part in managing our PCOS symptoms, from regulating our hormones, improving energy levels, and lowering inflammation. We have been monitoring our blood levels by doing regular testing where our medical professionals provide feedback on what we should change, start or stop doing.
With a past trauma, which negatively affected our health and sleep for many years, we feel that we have come a really long way and finally found a happy medium.
For this reason, we make it a priority to continue our efforts of healthy sleep, no matter where we are. Of course, wherever you go, there are different external factors that come to play.
If you want to take a look at how we navigate our health and wellness while travelling, we have written an in-depth guide and tips on travelling with PCOS, including food choices, food noise, keeping active, self care and you will be able to use these tips if you are travelling anywhere.
Travelling naturally alters your sleep health, especially with the time zones. Be intentional about creating a healthy sleep environment and we will share how these 4 tips helped us sleep better in Bali.
1. Sleep Better with a Good Eye Mask
Nothing worse than sleeping in a room where there is light coming in and you cannot fall asleep. Having curtains that aren’t fully blockout or the incorrect sizing, is something that is completely out of your control. Even worse, a street light shining so brightly into your bedroom – another one that is out of your control.
What you can do is add a good eye mask to your shopping cart and make sure that you travel with one, just in case.
The eye mask will block out lights coming through into the bedroom and help with a solid sleep at night (or day). This is especially helpful when you are recovering from jet lag travelling to or from your destination.
One pro eye mask tip is to make sure that the strap is not too tight or loose. This will either give you a headache from being too tight or wake you up during the night if it was too loose, disrupting your night’s rest.
Most airlines hand them out on long haul flights, so you could also make use of those if you forgot to purchase one before your travels. If you are a heavy packer (like me), check out these 13 carry on travel essential must haves for your next international vacation.
Follow and connect with fellow digital nomads on social media. If you’d like to follow where we find the best coffee (we are fussy), follow us on @offtwowander on Instagram.
2. Block Out The Noise
Between scooters hooting, geckos and lizards chirping, roosters crowing and the continuous dog barking, the noises can drive you crazy and are completely unpredictable as they will change from area to area.
We had a beautiful 3 bedroom villa located on a 15 minute scooter trip from Canggu, which was great. But, it also had its cons.
This was our first time visiting Canggu and we didn’t know what to expect. The only thing that we were certain about is that many digital nomads live in this area.
In Bali, they hoot. And for good reason. They hoot to alert scooters and cars that they are coming around a corner so that cars are aware of them. Everyone has a scooter in Bali and the amount of people on the roads is insane. Traffic is crazy in the more popular areas.
Travelling during peak time is a big no. The locals are trying to get home and the roads are extremely busy. We made an effort to travel outside of the peak hours to avoid sitting in traffic for a lot longer than it should take to get from one destination to the next.
Having said this, you will hear the scooters and cars hoot during the night, but most of the time it is relatively quiet.
We had dogs bark continuously throughout the night for the first week where we actually had to bring this up with our air bnb host. Dogs are a huge part of the Balinese culture, which we also have to respect. But living in South Africa, dogs barking means danger and that you should be alert. So this is something that we had to shift in order to be able to sleep better in Bali.
Because of our health and wellness journey and being aware of our sleep health back home, we had purchased a white noise machine and it has been such an effective device to sleep better in South Africa.
There was no chance that we would leave it behind on our Bali travels, but it was probably the best thing that helped us block out the external noises that were out of our control. We learnt how loud the white noise machine is and it soon became our new best friend to sleep better in Bali.
The white noise machine helped us sleep through all the noises during the night, masked sudden noises, created consistent calming white noises (you pick your sound) and made it easier to stay asleep throughout the night.
Read this blog to find out 8 lessons learnt during our first two weeks in Bali and let us know if any of them surprised you!
For those feeling adventurous and have more time to explore South Africa and Africa, get some inspiration from our blogs below.
Perhaps considering a 5 day trip to the Victoria Falls, or a trip up South Africa’s West Coast to Langebaan? I am sure you have heard of Churchhaven and Kraal Baai, two spectacular beaches inside the West Coast National Park. For those who are time restricted, you can base yourself in Langebaan and do day trips from there.
3. Ear Plugs: Your Best Friend To Block The Bali Sounds
With the noise struggles that we faced at our first villa in Bali, we reached out to our air bnb host to let them know our pain points while staying at their accommodation. They suggested purchasing ear plugs. At first we were like, not going to work. But luckily, we had kept our ear plugs that Emirates hand out on long haul flights. Yes, you can purchase decent ones from the shops, but the plane freebies did the trick. They sometimes fell out, but ear plugs with a white noise machine worked wonders for us and definitely helped us sleep better in Bali. For light sleepers like us, they helped block out the animal sounds, scooters hooting and early morning construction. Luckily for us, we had no big issues with construction. But we have heard that in some areas it can be a huge noise issue and concern for travellers visiting Bali.
Make sure to pack your ear plugs in, purchase a decent pair from the shops or make use of the free ear plugs that the airlines give to you.
4. Aircon and or a Fan
Yes, you cannot pack in your aircon or fan and travel internationally with it. When we travel locally, we always wish we could take our fans with us! But imagine arriving at your destination with a fan…
One thing that you can 100% do, is make sure that the accommodation that you book in Bali has an aircon. The majority of accommodation in Bali will have an aircon, as the weather can be extremely humid.
We made sure to book accommodation that had an aircon and it for sure worked overtime. Our lovely host at one of our villas, actually brought us a fan too, as we only had aircon in the bedrooms.
Bali nights can be warm, sticky and humid, especially during the wet season. Having an aircon can keep your bedroom cool, comfortable and allow you to have a restful night’s sleep.
Coming back home to South Africa, we are considering getting aircon for our bedrooms since we realised how it impacts your sleep sleeping in a consistent temperature bedroom.
Creating a calm and relaxing sleep environment ties into how we unwind after a busy day. Here is our list of 15 relaxation techniques to help you de-stress.
| Item | Why You Need It | What It Helps With |
|---|---|---|
| Eye Mask | Blocks unwanted light from thin curtains or bright streetlights. | Deeper, uninterrupted sleep + faster jet lag recovery. |
| White Noise Machine | Masks sudden nighttime noises like dogs, scooters and geckos. | Creates consistent calming sound to stay asleep. |
| Ear Plugs | Extra noise protection for light sleepers. | Reduces animal sounds, hooting and early morning noise. |
| Aircon / Fan | Keeps your room cool in Bali’s humidity. | Better sleep quality through temperature regulation. |
Find out more about us
Read more about our travel stories and the reason behind why we started our travel blog.
We loved our travels to Bali and have so many amazing takeaways. In fact, we said that we would come back and do our trip completely differently next time! That is for a separate blog post though.
So, despite such beauty in Bali, it’s important for light sleepers to know that they might struggle with their sleep health while there.
With our 4 items every visitor should bring on their trip to Bali, we think that this will help you sleep better while travelling throughout Bali and surrounding regions.
And for us, managing PCOS and prioritizing our health, sleep and wellbeing, these 4 items have made a huge difference in maintaining a consistent, healthy sleep routine while being abroad. With these travel tips, you truly can sleep better in Bali and enjoy every moment the island has to offer.
If you are planning your travels to Bali, check out our Instagram page @offtwowander to follow along and see where we’re off two next!
L&J
FAQ
Why is sleep such a big priority when travelling to Bali?
Because Bali has many external noise factors, humidity, and changing environments, prioritising sleep helps maintain good health, manage hormones (especially for PCOS), and reduce inflammation while travelling.
Is Bali really that noisy at night?
It can be. Common sounds include scooters, dogs, roosters, geckos, and construction. Noise varies by area, but having ear plugs or a white noise machine makes a big difference.
What items help improve sleep quality in Bali?
The four essentials are: a good eye mask, a white noise machine, ear plugs, and accommodation with an aircon or a fan.
Are ear plugs effective for Bali’s night noises?
Absolutely. Even simple airline ear plugs help block out barking dogs, scooters, and early-morning activity, especially when used together with a white noise machine.
Do I really need an eye mask in Bali?
Yes. Many rooms don’t have proper block-out curtains, and bright street lights can shine into bedrooms. An eye mask helps block unwanted light and supports deeper sleep.
Why is aircon important for sleeping in Bali?
Bali is hot and humid, especially at night. Aircon helps regulate your room temperature, prevent restless sleep, and keep the environment comfortable for a full night’s rest.
off two wander
Lauren and Julia are twin sisters from Cape Town, South Africa, sharing their travel adventures & showcasing what South Africa and other countries have to offer. They are passionate about travel, wildlife, conservation, being surrounded by nature & holistic well-being. They are both currently working fully remotely - Lauren is a travel guru - her previous industry, before moving over to digital marketing. Julia is a qualified teacher and is currently working for a digital agency too! Lauren does the travel logistics and web development, where Julia does the travel blogging & finances (if it wasn’t for Julia, Lauren would be on holiday all the time). Their travel blog covers anything from travel tips, guides & to do’s, wine farm spots & them visiting their favourite coffee shops (they are both creatures of habit, so you’ll find them obsessing over the good coffee cafes).
