Things keeping you up on Christmas and what you can do.  

With Christmas around the corner there are going to be a lot of distractions and a lot of excitement that might have an effect on your sleep or your ability to sleep. Kids will have a hard time going to sleep especially on Christmas eve out of pure excitement of Christmas day, what it brings and what it has to offer them in terms of presents. Parents/adults would have much more serious issues and problems keeping them up around the holidays, ranging from financial issues to making sure everything goes to plan on Christmas. 

As the season changes temperatures start to drop, it starts to get colder, and the days become shorter, as schools start to close with Christmas and New Year’s around the corner, children staying home your sleep may be affected by these factors. There are somethings that you can do to ensure that you get all your hours of sleep whilst still being able to enjoy this festive holiday.  

As winter approaches and the temperature depletes turning on the heating, layering up or sleeping with extra blankets might be something that you will have to do to be able to sleep at a comfortable temperature without freezing, there are also things you can both drink and eat that will help you stay warm. Sticking to the Christmas theme hot chocolate is a great way to say warm, whilst soups are especially popular during winter to help your body stay warm. A warm and soulful dinner will both help you stay warm and help you fall asleep, specific meals like turkey which will help induce drowsiness and sleepiness, and what better way to end the Christmas night than to spend it eating turkey with your loved ones then sleeping soundly after.  

With the kids off of school a good way to keep them from staying up late at night therefore, disrupting your sleep is by keeping them on a sleeping routine, by having a set routine it will mean that your children will automatically be tired by the time that they normally go to sleep at. For example, if your child is used to going to bed every night at 10pm then the following day when 10pm comes your child will mostly be tired and want to go to sleep voluntarily anyway, meaning that your sleeping schedule won’t be disturbed even if they aren’t at school.  

Bright lights keep the production levels of melatonin down, with many bright lights around you from the tv that’s on as you and your family enjoy some Christmas classics, the lights from your Christmas tree and decorations, even brighter lights seeping through your window of your neighbours Christmas decorations, it’s no surprise that people find it hard to sleep around this time of year. Somethings you can do is an hour before you go to bed giving you enough time for your body to start to produce melatonin is to turn off the tv, and your smart phone, your Christmas light both indoor and outdoor and unwind with an herbal tea and lets your mind relax with a book before your body dozes off.  

Food is so important, food not only fuel our body, but it also brings so much joy and happiness to people, it brings families and groups of people together from all around the world. Around Christmas time there is a heightened emphases on food, with that being said of course, you should eat all the Christmas themed foods that only come around one time a year but remember to eat in moderation. Having a lot of sugar before bed will disrupt your body’s ability to sleep. Try to stay away from too much alcohol or alcohol right before bed as it can affect your quality of sleep.  

You can even treat yourself to a new mattress that is built to give you the greatest sleep of your life. With Christmas sales on and prices down making it affordable, now is the perfect time to get yourself a new mattress one that is catered to you whether that is a firm mattress, a hybrid mattress, a mattress that contours your body perfectly allowing for soundless sleep cutting the risk of getting back pain with the ideal memory foam mattresses. If there ever is a perfect time to treat yourself to a new mattress it would be around Christmas time when mattresses are more affordable. 

Christmas may bring you a lot of stress by making sure everything is going smoothly, taking of the kids and cooking all of the Christmas dinner but don’t forget to take care of yourself and your sleep either, treat yourself to some calming teas, food and allow your body and mind to get the 7-9 hours of sleep it needs to recover from a stressful holiday. It is extremely important that you allow yourself to engage in soothing rituals that help you and your body relax, for some that might be taking a warm scented bath with soothing oils like lavender, eucalyptus or Ylang Ylang to help relax your nervous system and your blood pressure thus promoting sleep. For other it may be a session of meditation to calm the body before going to bed, whatever it may be that you like to do to get your body and your mind in the mood to go to sleep whilst taking care of yourself you should do it.