Preparing
for the holiday season means there are many things to do and remember.
There is one key thing that anyone can do to keep up your energy and keep
stress at bay.
What is this secret? Sleep! With enough sleep, you can take
on your worst relative, the busiest shopping mall, or the crankiest Santa.
Yet at such a busy time of year, sleep can be hard to find. Here
are two of the worst enemies of a good night’s sleep:
Alcohol
With all the parties of the season, more alcohol will likely
be flowing your way. Even though drinking can make you feel tired, it actually
leaves you less rested.
According to an article at WebMD, alcohol
interferes with your REM sleep (the deepest level of sleep), when your body’s
systems are restored to face the new day. Depleted of REM sleep, you’ll feel
tired, irritable and fog-headed. That’s no way to enjoy the holidays!
Change to routine
No matter what kind of wonderful sleep oasis you’ve created
for yourself during the rest of the year, when you get off your routine your
sleep quality can go right out the window.
One trick is to create a Plan B and have it ready. Plan B is
essentially a shorter, simpler routine that still incorporates some healthy
habits.
For example, while you may usually do a 15-minute yoga
stretching session before bed, Plan B might be two minutes of deep breathing
and one quick stretch.
That way, you’re not throwing out all your good intentions
and it will be easier to get back to your full routine the next night.
For more ideas, see our earlier post with tips
for better sleep and this post about restful
sleepwear ideas.
P.S. Want to take away more holiday stress? Have a few
hostess gifts prepped and ready (e.g., a bottle of wine decorated with a tree
ornament or a bag of Fraktals chocolates),
and consider registering
at your favourite store to give your loved ones a hand when buying for you.
