I tried a weekend sleep-cation to repay my sleep debt - here's how it went

Singaporeans are a sleepless population. In fact, we're the third most sleep deprived country according to a Singhealth study that profiled 43 cities worldwide.

It's hardly shocking; Singaporeans are innate workaholics. Imagine you've had a grueling week at work and finally settling into bed, only to be disturbed by a barrage of Teams notifications. You know you could just ignore it, but you're probably reaching for your device even before you know it.

Stress from scenarios like that has given me a serious case of under-eye bags. So, my colleagues recommended I take a sleep-cation - a new travel trend aimed at helping people achieve a good night's rest.

Desperate for some winks and a change of environment, I booked a two-day-one-night weekend stay at a local hotel, intent on getting some rest. Here's how it went:

Prepping for a sleep-cation

I needed a hibernation spot that was far from the hustle and bustle of city life and preferably somewhere closer to nature. By a stroke of luck, there was one hotel that fit the bill nicely: Changi Cove, an idyllic and sleepy hotel situated near Changi Beach.

I booked a Standard room and brought along just three essentials: my most comfortable sleepwear, an eye mask and a pair of headphones. Most importantly, I left behind all my work devices.

And because I was determined not to let anything interrupt my sleep-cation, I turned on the Do Not Disturb mode on my phone.

Checking in, I wasn't expecting much but I lucked out with a room with a lush forest view, providing the perfect escape from all my worries. All that was left to do was to order some comfort food.

Eat, sleep, repeat

Food delivery was the obvious choice, given the remote location. Plus, I wasn't willing to get out of bed anyway.

While browsing through foodpanda, I discovered that their pandapro subscription was going for just $1 for the first month. A dollar, in exchange for a month of unlimited free delivery on all restaurants and other exclusive discounts on foodpanda? It sounded too good to be true.

I signed up and true to their word, there is an 'Unlimited Free Delivery' category in the app where I could browse to my heart's content.

A minimum spend of $15 is usually required, but I met that easily with snacks from Burger King. I treated myself to a Hersheys Sundae Pie, Chicken Fries with Truffle Mayo and a refreshing SJORA Mango Peach drink to enjoy. The best part? I saved $2.39 with the free delivery from pandapro.

Now devoid of any work responsibilities, an afternoon nap became a sweet possibility. I finally checked off this task on my mental health backlog and pretty much crashed till evening.

Waking up ravenous, I satisfied both my ramen and don cravings by ordering a Karaka-men Deluxe Buddy Meal from Takagi Ramen that came with two sides.

I was prepared to pay a little more for this post-nap feast, but the savings were tremendous; I was given a $8.58 discount on my order, with free delivery to boot. I spent $34.72 in total for a spread that would have cost me upwards of $50.

Pleased with how dinner turned out, it was time to burn off all that excess energy; I went for a few laps around the beatific hotel premises and fell in love with the fact that I could hear nothing but cricket sounds.

Before I returned to my room, I decided to order in some food for a light supper and breakfast for the next day. With my pandapro subscription, I could enjoy unlimited free delivery at any time, even late into the night. I picked out some chocolate pancakes and dessert bowls from Mr Bean to savour if I got peckish later in the evening.

One hot shower later, I was ready to hit the sack. Digital distractions are aplenty at home, but this time I decided to follow the internet's advice and go analog for my bedtime routine. No blue light before bed.

That must have helped - I slept like the dead. Check-out was scheduled for noon, yet I woke up naturally to the soothing sounds of bird calls and the gentle patter of rain. I've heard that walking in the great outdoors could do wonders for your mental health, so I jumped out of bed for my mental health walk by Changi Boardwalk.

The verdict

After a well-rested weekend, I can confidently declare that a sleep-cation is the perfect solution for burnt out Singaporeans - especially if you're in need of a conducive place to catch up on some Z's.

You won't need to worry about populating the itinerary for this pseudo-vacation or stress about the logistics of planning an overseas trip. You won't have to care about 'making the most out of your holiday' either, as the purpose of the sleep-cation is to ultimately, catch up on rest.

Wherever your sleep-cation is, you'll also be able to enjoy unlimited free delivery with a pandapro subscription without ever having to leave the hotel. Lay back, relax, and order your favourite foods to satisfy every craving.

From now till September 30, anyone who isn't currently subscribed to pandapro can get a subscription for just $1 for the first month using the promo code PANDAPRO. And for the latest updates on foodpanda's promos and pandapro perks, subscribe to the foodpanda SG lobang Telegram channel.

This article is brought to you in partnership with foodpanda.

sophia.kuek@asiaone.com