No matter the country, the time of the day, holidays always leaves one with joy and happiness of good times shared with friends and family. However, there is a slightly darker fact to the holiday season. The rush of the festivity takes a toll on your body and affects the most aspect of your routine – your sleep. Thanks to the ongoing celebrations, your sleep cycle length takes a beating.

High sugary food, drinks, and late-night hangouts are synonymous to the cheery season after all and it never hurts to indulge in good times at least once a year. However, there are certain elements that you should be mindful of so that they don’t interfere with your beauty sleep and don’t impair your health for a longer duration. With baby steps, you can turn the tables in case of such an event.

Elevated Stress Levels

Though it is a ‘holi-holi day!’ you cannot negate the fact it is also the time of elevated stress with year-end chores to take care of, work commitments, holiday preparation and an attempt to save a little for the poor broke January. The constant processing, calculating, budgeting, meeting deadlines, shopping and hosting are bound to take a toll on your mental and physical health, leading to high blood pressure, anxiety and severe mood swings.



The Solution: Though you cannot escape the mad bustle, what you can do is take small steps and incorporate them into your daily routine to take the edge off. A good sleep routine before the holidays can perk you up for the grind that is about to come up. Invest in a sturdy bed, such as some of the best platform beds from Awara, a comfortable mattress, and a soft pillow that will lull into a deep slumber.

For a comfortable mattress, you can check out the affordable mattress in a box from Nectar to ensure a deep sleep without a deep hole in your pocket.

High Levels of Anxiety

The constant rush and the high life calls for a speed that the normal routine does not have. During the holiday season, people tend to undergo panic attacks and high anxiety disorder which can stem from the need to excel in everything you take up.

This sense of competition gives rise to worry and constant thinking which interferes with the sleep process. Not to mention, these parties go into the wee hours which puts the body under stress and ruins the biological clock. Also, these activities also sap the body’s energy and numb the mind against any relaxation.

Solution: An important step that you can take is to make your sleep routine a bit more indulgent. This can be done by the inclusion of soft and weighted mattresses that you can wrap yourself around in the form of a comfy cocoon. We know about the comfortable mattress and the pillows but how do weighted blankets work and are pro sleep? If you are more of a microfibre duvet person, find one that is cozy enough to cradle you to sleep.

(Img Courtesy: Dreamcloud Sleep)

These blankets are known to improve health conditions and reduce anxiety while combating insomnia. As per a study by the Journal of Sleep Medicine and Disorders, four out of five insomniacs liked the weighted blankets which contributed to more restful sleep and fresher mornings.

Also, you need to understand that it is not a competition but merely a social convention that you chose to pick up. No judgments will follow this and any mishaps will probably be forgotten by January.

Cluttered Surroundings

The holiday season, though calls for clean surroundings, one cannot avoid the repercussions of the clutter which is known to have an adverse impact on your sleep patterns. The wrecked sleep patterns can lead to the obvious exhaustion and irritability which can last for days in the end. It also results in loss of focus & concentration which downplays into productivity and further leads to dissatisfaction from the day or the task. It is like a domino effect.

(Img Courtesy: Awara Sleep)

Solution: Minimize the clutter. Try to cut down on the mess that is made during the party and make provisions that will help curb the clutter from spreading out. For example, trash bags near the kitchen where guests can dump their wastes, a kitchen basket to collect the dishes and many more. Engage your family in the cleaning process and after the completion, reward yourself with a nice relaxing glass of wine on your most comfortable sofa and fuzzy slippers.

The Indulgence Is Not Good

What people do not discuss is that regular party indulgence can trick your mind into considering this as its lifestyle which can lead to erratic sleep patterns. Oily and heavy dishes, sweet treats and heavy drinking can wreck someone’s digestive system and out a pause to a night of uninterrupted sleep. This intermittent sleep pattern can lead to diabetes, weight gain and low immunity as the body is not well-rested. These notorious elements are clear indicators of lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular problems, depression, osteoporosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to name a few.

Solution:  Keep a handle on what you eat during the holiday season Help yourself with some pudding but stop right there when you go for that second helping. Once is enough to celebrate the festive cheer.

You can also ensure that the simple sugars are not culminating into a diabetic agent by vigorous workout sessions and a high-calorie burn ratio.  The vigorous workout will also coax the body to sleep and you will get your biological clock back to normal.

High On Celebrations, Low On Sleep, No On Sex

We are so held on creating the perfect social gathering or being a perfect part of that social gathering that we do not notice the toll it is taking on us. The resultant lack of sleep results in distance between partners who are too tired for any form of intimacy.

Solution: This defeats the purpose of a celebration. If you are celebrating the holiday season with your partner, you can dial a notch down on the extravagant outings and spend some quality time with him/her and have your own celebrations. You can decorate your house with tasteful decor, some soft lighting, some matching drapes or some large 6×9 area rugs from Wovenly.

Accidents

One of the most common causes behind accidents today is the lack of sleep. Imagine yourself in a complete celebratory mode, back from your 6th party of the week and you have barely slept for 20 hours these 6 days. Driving in a sleep-deprived state can lead to accidents and several fatal conclusions.

Solution: The solution to this dilemma is pretty straight forward. Try sleeping for at least 6-7 hours a night. Ditch the parties early if you have to but make time for your precious beauty sleep. The celebrations are not worth your health and life.

Key Takeaway

While we all love to breathe in the cheery atmosphere, it should not compromise on our health, both physical as well as mental. The lack of care and sleep might last for only those couple of days but the repercussions can last for months at an end, plummeting your productivity and caliber as a human being.

Celebrate responsibly, sleep early. A perfect blend for a healthy lifestyle and soul.

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