Can one insect prevent you from a good night’s sleep?
On my way to Churchill Downs recently for a day of racing, I stopped for the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Bloomington, Illinois. I was pleased with the room and check-in staff, and was glad to find a ceiling fan in the bathroom (anything to drown out sounds from the corridor when I am trying to sleep).
Unfortunately I encountered an insect on the wall next to the bed, and my first thought was, “What other creatures might be in here?”
I then closely checked the mattress for bed bugs since insects were now on my mind. There were none of course. Granted, Bloomington is surrounded by farmland and its indigenous insects, but this was the first time I encountered an insect of this kind in a Marriott hotel room.
I am hesitant to blame one insect, but I proceeded to have a sleepless night. In fact, I hadn’t slept that poorly in a hotel room since staying at a Days Inn years ago in a room that reeked of cleaning chemicals and had some school group making noise throughout the night. That was the last time I stayed at a Days Inn.
I have stayed at other Fairfield Inn properties before and slept well, so I can only speculate that this insect entered my subconscious and prevented me from entering REM sleep. I feel extremely lucky to have driven five hours the next day without falling asleep at the wheel.
Have you had a sleepless night in a hotel room? What caused it?
