Although adventures and lively tourism are essential to most vacations, sometimes we all need a little downtime. Whether that means ditching the itinerary or the children, select locations around the globe offer the ultimate relaxation experience. If you need some extra R&R, you’re in luck—a recent study by Onebed revealed the best places for the most relaxing vacation and we’re zooming in on the place that takes the number-one spot: Finland.
The Best Destination for Sleep, According to Data
A perfect “sleepcation” is based on a few factors: average noise levels (DBA), hotel reviews, light pollution and the basic sleep quality of individuals within the region. Through these guiding factors, each country has a total calculation of points, determining the best quality sleep with the highest number scored. Coming in at number one, Helsinki, Finland, has a calculated score of 78.46. This reflects the city’s moderate nightlife, which acts as little disturbance to its community and lower tourist numbers, contributing to its tranquility.
The study finds that noise levels play a major part in making Finland one of the most restful destinations. Noise levels are measured in decibels—a type of measurement that filters out low-frequency energy and sounds. In the case of OneBed’s study, decibels were adjusted to human hearing to determine Finland as the best sleepcation. Finland’s noise levels stand at 49, which is a pleasurable score when determining factors that can disrupt rest and sleep. Due to this pleasing noise level, 50 percent of individuals mentioned positive sleep in hotel reviews throughout the region.
Another key factor that plays into an ideal relaxing environment is the air quality index, which considers the air quality and pollution measured numerically to determine potential health effects. The lower the air quality (AQI) numbers are, the better, making Finland stand at number one with an AQI of 29. Although there is a high tourism population, averaging four million individuals annually, Finland has managed to keep its position at number one.