Home LivingWellnessSleep7 sleep tips to reduce stress and avoid insomnia over ChristmasHow to get a good night’s sleep during Christmas and the festive seasonWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingWellnessSleep7 sleep tips to reduce stress and avoid insomnia over ChristmasHow to get a good night’s sleep during Christmas and the festive seasonWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
How to get a good night’s sleep during Christmas and the festive season
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Eugenivy Now / Unsplash)
(Image credit: Eugenivy Now / Unsplash)
Struggling to get to sleep this Christmas? Then make sure to prioritise your sleep schedule and use these seven tips to reduce stress and avoid insomnia over the festive period.
With Christmas just a week away, sleep is probably the last thing on your mind. But I can’t stress enough how important it is to prioritise sleep, especially over Christmas and in the lead-up to the new year. Let’s face it, no one wants to feel like they’ve wasted Christmas taking countless naps or wake up on the first working day in January feeling exhausted.
Christmastime is filled with overindulgence and late nights which are fun to partake in, but they shouldn’t impact your sleep and wellbeing. However, with an excess of food, alcohol and socialising, you’re bound to lose some sleep here and there, so to help you manage this better, here are seven sleep tips for a rested and relaxing Christmas night’s sleep.
P.S. Set yourself up for sleep success with thebest mattress.
1. Stick to your normal sleep routine
2. Have a soft drink after every alcoholic drink
From a morning bucks fizz, to wine with lunch, to Baileys for winding down in the evening, Christmas Day is sure to be filled with alcoholic drinks. But while alcohol can have a sedative-like effect, it’s very disruptive to sleep as you’ll find yourself waking up more often in the night and feeling rundown and dehydrated in the morning. Limiting your alcohol intake is a good way to minimise these sleep disruptions so try to have your last drink two-three hours before you go to bed. To keep yourself alert and hydrated while (hopefully!) avoiding a hangover, have a soft drink after every alcoholic drink to give your body a chance to digest the alcohol properly before you consume more.
(Image credit: Pexels)
(Image credit: Pexels)
3. Eat protein-rich foods to aid sleep
Yes, it’s true thatturkey can make you feel sleepyand if you’re finding it hard to sleep, eating protein-rich foods like turkey can solve this problem. Turkey and foods like cheese, nuts and salmon are high in tryptophan which increase the production of melatonin and serotonin. These two hormones regulate your sleep schedule so if you have an increase in them, you’ll feel sleepier. Aside from this natural sleepiness, protein-rich foods take longer to digest which helps regulate your blood sugar levels.
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4. Get fresh air and sunlight
It’s easy to stay inside playing games, eating food and making cocktails but to help you sleep better at night, you should get some fresh air and sunlight every day. Getting natural light and fresh air in the morning helps wake you up and kickstart your circadian rhythm which will determine when you feel sleepier at the end of the day. Going for a Christmas walk also gives you a bit of exercise after overeating.
5. Bring sleep-inducing products when travelling
If you’re going away for Christmas, your sleep might be disrupted, as you’re in an unfamiliar environment, not used to the mattress you’re sleeping on or sharing a room with someone you don’t normally share with. To solve these issues, take sleep-inducing items with you that bring a sense of familiarity and comfort. When your brain and body sees yourbest pillow, eye mask or sleep spray, it’ll know that it’s time to wind down which can help you drift off faster and sleep better.
(Image credit: Dmitry Ganin / Unsplash)
(Image credit: Dmitry Ganin / Unsplash)
6. Have a power nap
Christmas and napping go hand in hand, and are oftentimes unavoidable, especially if you’ve just eaten your bodyweight in turkey. If you feel like you need a quick snooze, have a power nap so you feel alert but you don’t affect your sleep schedule later. When having a power nap, keep it to 20 minutes so you don’t sleep for too long, and place it in the mid-afternoon as any later, you’ll disrupt your sleep. Here’show to have the perfect napfor more details.
7. Keep Christmas gifts and mess out of your bedroom
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