At once jolly and festive, the holiday season can also be a time of immense stress. Your social calendar may become full with social events; shopping pressure may increase; cooking skills could come under strain; late nights disrupted routines are made even harder due to less sunlight; it is no wonder many find sleep difficult during this season!
If the holidays leave you feeling exhausted and listless, there are ways to increase the quality and duration of your restful slumber. Read on for some helpful advice on reclaiming sleep during this festive period.
1. Take time to unwind before bed
We have all experienced the frustration of falling into bed feeling worn out only to toss and turn throughout the night as your mind refuses to shut off – trust us; it happens all too frequently! Make sure that before you turn in for bed you take some time for relaxation and unwinding – your brain won’t stop racing otherwise!
To prevent racing thoughts from interfering with your sleep, include soothing rituals in your bedtime routine. Consider curling up under a weighted blanket – which research shows may help ease anxiety and insomnia symptoms – before reading, journaling or taking a warm bath to lower stress levels and ease restful restful slumber after holiday hustle and bustle has subsided.
2. Avoid Overloading Your Schedule
Winter months can be very busy times of year with office parties to attend, family gatherings to organize, holiday shopping to do and holiday party invitations coming your way. While accepting every holiday party invite may seem tempting, doing so could add unnecessary stress that keeps you awake at night. Instead, be realistic with how much can fit into your schedule this year and decide beforehand who you would like to spend time with if an invitation doesn’t appeal – politely decline and suggest meeting again later when your schedule permits or once your schedule allows it.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of Departing Early
A similar point: don’t hesitate to leave an event early, especially if your schedule is already packed or the party stretches on past your bedtime. While your host may be disappointed that you can’t stay longer (e.g., because your babysitter can only stay until 9), as long as a valid excuse (e.g., because your nanny needs to return by 9 pm) is provided (e.g. babysitter can only stay until 9). Just ensure they know ahead that they may need to leave early so they won’t be surprised when they need to leave early (either).
4. Nap with Caution
As much as we may want to sleep early, late nights happen. Perhaps you needed to wait for your kids to go to bed before playing Santa or perhaps you just wanted to stay up late with friends you only see once every year. Whatever the cause may be, taking a nap later that day is an effective way of making up lost rest if done correctly; to do this make sure it lasts no more than 20 minutes, creating a restful sleeping environment by setting the thermostat at an appropriate temperature and wearing an eye mask while sleeping mask will further block out light pollution.
5. Drink Moderately
Although alcohol can help us relax and fall asleep more easily, its effect on sleep has been found to be detrimental. According to researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, alcohol interferes with our bodies’ natural mechanisms for controlling restfulness at nighttime resulting in more frequent nighttime awakenings.
This holiday season, for optimal sleeping habits and to help avoid negative side effects from alcohol consumption, try refraining from alcohol for four hours before bed and limiting it to just one beverage daily. Also drink plenty of water between drinks so as to stay hydrated and reduce their harmful side effects.
6. Utilize Natural Sleep Aids
No matter whether you’re staying over at someone else’s for the holidays or trying to improve the quality of sleep in your own bed, natural sleep aids can make a dramatic difference in how well you rest. Unlike prescription sleeping pills which often come with unwanted side effects, natural sleeping aids promise to lull you off into dreamland without unwanted side effects or adverse reactions; sleeping masks or wearing valerian can help improve quality slumber by creating an entirely dark environment in which to sleep soundly; other sleep aids like Melatonin, valerian, valerian root may also aid better quality slumber; consult with your physician first if taking such supplements to prevent adverse reactions before making decisions regarding their use or taking any decisions regarding possible adverse reactions before using these supplements.
7. Don’t Skip Your Workout
Finding time and energy for exercise may seem impossible during colder months when all you want to do is curl up under a cozy duvet, but experts have recommended not skipping morning workouts in order to maximize nightly rest this holiday season. Exercise first thing can help usher in restful slumber by relieving stress and anxiety, increasing sleep drive, and recalibrating your schedule – to make workouts more enjoyable, set out workout clothes the night before as well as listening to music to help motivate yourself along! To make morning workouts even more pleasurable set out workout clothes the night before while listening to music helps get yourself revved up!
8. Evaluate Nighttime Holiday Snacks
As we move toward New Year’s Day, your diet will likely include plenty of holiday indulgences such as eggnog and gingerbread as well as turkey dinners with delicious cranberry sauce. While these high-calorie foods can be enjoyable occasionally, eating too many at the wrong times or too close to bedtime may affect sleep quality; overeating may tax the digestive system leading to difficulty sleeping; to ensure uninterrupted slumber try to consume your largest meal early in the day and stop when feeling full before bedtime comes around – or consider eating earlier in the day and stop when feeling full as this may help prevent this effect from taking place!
