Everyone has their own ritual. Some people . . . usually the men . . . want to know what kind of digital sports channels are available. Others immediately check out the mini-bar, while bathroom fetishists will start testing the veracity of the 'power shower' claims. But most of us gravitate towards the bed, flinging off our shoes and adopting the star-fish position, luxuriating in the delights of hotel life. Fast forward a couple of hours and it doesn't matter how regal this king-sized bed is or how fabulous the feather pillows are: you are in a Strange Bed and you just can't sleep.

According to a 2005 study by Radisson hotels, 95% of respondents said that they rarely get a good night's sleep while travelling.

A host of factors come into play, from jet lag to strange food and general stress but the first night in a different bed invariably stands out as being the worst. Sleep experts have a name for it . . . 'first-night syndrome' . . . and warn that it will affect you whether you're whooping it up in the Ritz or slumming it in a beach hut in Thailand. However, the good news is that provided there is no time-zone change, you should acclimatise to your new bed by the second or third night.

The most important element in determining how quickly you adjust is what kind of mattress you're used to. A comfortable and supportive mattress is essential to a good night's sleep but if your bed at home is a sponge-fest, you'll find anything firmer difficult to sleep on. This can become an issue for travellers to the east, where futons and mats are primarily used, and these are not conducive to the favoured western position of sleeping on one's side.

Thankfully, grotty mattresses and polyester bedspreads are on the decrease, and hoteliers are now striving to lure guests with promises of superior slumber. Pillow menus are now de rigeur in top-end hotels and most boast king-sized beds and beyond. The Four Seasons in Tokyo, for example, has pillows filled with soba beans or wood chips and fashionistas visiting the Milan shows swear by the cashmere sheets in the Principe di Savoia.

But if even these luxurious snoozing arrangements can't combat the dreaded firstnight syndrome, what can one do to minimise the effects? Start with a little forward planning.

Andrew Collins, managing director of needahotel. com says that the first night in a hotel isn't indicative of how comfortable the bed is but that three nights should give you its measure.

"I tend to stay in 'boutique' hotels, " he says.

"These tend to be more comfortable and pay greater attention to detail than the more generic, bigger hotel names."

When booking a room, light sleepers should request a quiet room, away from lifts and other noisy areas. If possible, try and arrive at your hotel in the late afternoon or early evening, which will give you enough time to settle in, have a meal and generally relax. Try and mirror your normal sleeping arrangements as closely as possible. You should try and go to sleep within an hour of your normal sleeping time. As tempting as a nightcap might be, alcohol will only disrupt your sleeping patterns further so skip it in favour of a boring but sensible warm milky drink. All these measures may still not counteract first-night syndrome but do take solace in the fact that you don't have to sleep for the equivalent amount of hours to combat this sleep debt. Experts say that even if you don't sleep all night, only a third of your normal sleeping period is enough to get you back to level footing again. And if you are going to be up all night, there are worse places to be than somewhere with 24-hour room service, mini-bars, 57 TV channels and some fluffy robes.