4 ways to improve your sleep this holiday season
The holiday season is usually one of the busiest – and often most stressful – times of the year. It's also a season that often brings poor sleep. To improve your health and your mood, consider these four simple ways that you can maintain healthy sleep during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
Go to bed when you're sleepy.
It seems obvious, but it isn't always easy to do. With the added stress of the holidays, it can be even harder to fall asleep. Prolonged wakefulness helps to build our drive for sleep and staying up a little later until you feel sleepy can ease insomnia. Preserving 30 to 60 minutes to relax before bed can also aid this transition.
Put an end to the snoring.
Whether you're staying in grandma’s spare room or sharing a hotel suite, close quarters during the holidays may call attention to previously unnoted snoring and other sleep-disordered breathing like sleep apnea.
Get morning sunlight.
Morning sunlight is a powerful force that affects our sleep timing and can improve daytime alertness. Ideally your eyes would be exposed to natural sunlight within 15 minutes of waking for a period of 15 to 30 minutes. Harder to do during the winter months, a great way to get this in is to go for a morning walk before you start your work day.
Reduce alcohol consumption.
Alcohol can have insidious effects on the quality of our sleep. Alcohol can make us feel sleepy, enhancing the impacts of adenosine, the neurotransmitter in the brain that contributes strongly to sleepiness. Adenosine levels are low after sleep and gradually build with wakefulness, contributing to our sleep drive. A few cocktails at the holiday party may make you feel sleepy and encourage a long winter’s nap. However, alcohol quickly wears off. As it is metabolized, the levels fall within the blood, and this can lead to fragmentation of sleep and awakenings.
Enjoy your holiday season with loved ones but don’t sacrifice your sleep! Follow these tips to stay on track and kick off 2021 the right way.