As much as I love the holiday season… I hate to admit, I find it to be a pretty exhausting time of year. And I'm sure you do, too! We have so much to do to prepare for the holidays; from buying and wrapping presents, to making cookies and planning dinner, and to top it all off — remembering to move that darn elf every single night! Plus, let's face it, we're typically not leading the healthiest of lifestyles during the holiday season. We’re eating more and drinking more… and sleeping less.
Before I became a sleep consultant, my sleep would typically take a major hit this time of year because of all of these things. Now that I know better, there are four things I am going to focus on this holiday season so that I can maintain my healthy sleep and make it out alive, and I'm going to share those with you today:
My Top 4 Tips for Maintaining Healthy Sleep During the Holiday Season
1
Double Down On the Self Care
The holidays are stressful. And whenever our mind perceives that there's a stressful situation, our body responds by producing cortisol, the alert hormone. So we need to make sure that when we're extra stressed, such as during the time leading up to the holidays, that we're taking extra time to relax and bring down those cortisol levels. It could be something as simple as doing some deep breathing; or listen to a guided meditation or podcast or listen to some music; go for a walk or call a friend. For more ideas and resources, take a look at my blog post 5 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Cortisol Levels here→
It's important that you schedule these little relaxation breaks into your calendar because if you don't, you're going to forget to relax. Then when it’s bedtime, your cortisol levels are going to be extremely high and you're going to be wired, but tired. So, you may be able to fall asleep at first because you’re tired, but 3:00 AM will roll around and your cortisol levels will still be elevated — and since you already got a little bit of rest and you're not as tired, you're going to wake up and have a hard time falling back to sleep.
So trust me, even though you're super busy, find time to relax every day; preferably once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
2
Make Sure You’re Not Consuming Too Much Sugar
Now I know this is hard because there are so many goodies that are only around during the holidays and you want to make sure you're taking full advantage. I get it! But if you do, it's going to impact your sleep.
The reason why is: whenever we consume sugar, our bodies produce cortisol to bring down our blood sugar levels. So if you're eating cookies all day — again, your cortisol levels are going to be elevated and they're not going to have enough time to deregulate before bedtime to allow you to fall asleep and stay asleep.
So I'm not saying not to eat goodies whatsoever because that's impossible, but just make sure that you're not overdoing it and that you cut the sugar consumption off before about 3:00 PM.
Instead of eating cookies for dessert, try eating them for breakfast like me (and maybe one more at lunch)! That way, your body has plenty of time to lower its cortisol levels before bed.
3
Watch the Booze
We all tend to drink a little bit more during the holidays because we're more social. This year it's a little different because we're not attending holiday parties IRL, but we still have our Zoom get-togethers, which typically require you to have a glass of wine in hand. And I’m not telling you to NOT enjoy that glass of wine, but just make sure that you're drinking in moderation. The reason why is because alcohol can inhibit your sleep. Peep my full blog post Does Alcohol Help You Sleep Better? Debunking the Myth that Alcohol Helps You Sleep for tips and more in-depth research on this very topic!
Here’s how it works: Alcohol is a sedative, so it's going to make you sleepy and it also increases your adenosine levels. Adenosine is a chemical that connects to receptors in your brain and makes you sleepy. You usually fall asleep pretty quickly after a night of drinking, but you're going to experience interrupted sleep. That's because the adenosine levels spike, but then there's a rebound effect; around 3:00 AM, your sleep pressure is lower and you're primed for a wake-up. And to top it off, alcohol has an enzyme in it that prevents you from entering REM sleep.
REM sleep is the most restorative sleep. It’s when your brain is taking in all the information from the day and storing memories and doing a reboot, which is why you feel pretty groggy the day after drinking one too many. So I'm not saying NOT to drink, but just make sure that you're not doing it excessively and that you stop drinking well before bedtime. A good rule of thumb is to give yourself an hour for every drink that you consume before bedtime to ensure that it's out of your system before you hit the hay.
4
Go to Bed + Wake Up Around the Same Time Every Day
I know it's really tempting when you're not working and the kids don't have school, to go to bed late and wake up late. But by doing so, you're throwing your body clock off and your body's going to feel constantly jet-lagged. That's because of the way our circadian rhythm works.
Our circadian rhythm is influenced by 2 hormones: melatonin, the sleepy hormone, and cortisol, the alert hormone. Our bodies produce melatonin when there's an absence of light and at the same time suppress cortisol. Likewise, our bodies produce cortisol when exposed to light and at the same time suppress melatonin. It's a see-saw effect: when cortisol's high, melatonin's low and vise-versa.
These hormones are typically produced on a 24/7 clock. So if you go to bed and wake up at different times, it starts to shift your clock and your body clock gets really confused; your hormones become really confused, and then you don't sleep as well. So do yourself a favor and maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time.
Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!
I hope that these sleep tips help you to achieve more silent, peaceful and restful nights this holiday season.
If your sleep issues persist after the holiday cookies disappear, then I would love to help you get to the bottom of what's causing your insomnia.
If you're interested in learning more, you can schedule a free 30-minute Discovery Call with me here→.
If you’d like more tips, you can read more articles on improving your sleep in my sleep blog. I have a ton of great resources.
Or if you're interested in working with someone one on one, I would love to help. You can schedule your free discovery call right here →
My mission is to help you get the rest you deserve to be your best.
Sweet Dreams…
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.