Don’t lose Sleep Over the Holidays!7+ Strategies to Sleep Well No Matter Where You Are

by Susan D'Addario,
Certified Sleep Science Coach
Certified Mind Body Eating Coach
Licensed HeartMath Certified Coach

Introduction 

Sleep deprivation is quite common over the holidays given the travel, possible change of time zones, extra food/drink, stress and more!

Well, whether you stay in a hotel or at someone’s home, you can enjoy your holidays -hopefully - with great sleep too!

Below are typical holiday culprits to good sleep, along with respective remedies. 

See what you can do to sleep well, holidays or not! Remember, good sleep isn’t a luxury!

Culprits & Remedies

-Too much to eat/drink

The more slowly we eat, the less we eat. That’s because it takes our brain approximately 20 minutes to realize we’ve eaten. Only at that point will your brain instruct the release of your satiety, “I’m full” hormone, or leptin. So, slowing down your eating will help your body digest properly and give you a chance to feel full without overeating. It’s very hard to sleep well with a full belly.

Also, go lighter and earlier on desserts. Consuming sugar too close to bedtime will risk waking you from your nighttime due to rising and then crashing blood sugar levels

Drinking earlier - happy hour time – and drinking less, (men should max with 3 drinks and women at 2), as well as hydrating in between adult beverages and after, will help you tremendously to sleep better at night - in particular the second half of the night!

-Staying up and/or waking too late 

Maintaining your regular sleep schedule - bedtime/wakeup times - is always helpful to support your sleep rhythm. Our brains love patterns and repetition, so not shifting your bed schedule will help to keep your sleep pattern reliable.

-Evening/nighttime lighting

While it’s true we may not be able to control bright lighting at night - in particular if we are staying with friends/family vs. in a hotel- I recommend discussing the virtues of dim light at night for better sleep with your hosts. I know I have and more often than not, people are intrigued and seem ready, willing and able to accommodate such a request.

Moreover, pack your blue light blocking glasses with amber lens and simply use them as you would at home. They’re easy to transport and also make a unique and friendly holiday gift for people! Also terrific at dimming and blocking blue light is an amber nightlight for your bedroom/bathroom. Remember, avoiding white light exposure during the night helps your sleep hormone, melatonin, to stray elevated in your system as it should.

-Too noisy 

People have different bedtimes so you may have challenges at your bedtime with loud conversations, televisions, etc. Please bring ear plugs – silicon ones are rinseable and fairly comfy. You may prefer noise cancelling ear buds. Whatever it takes, including cotton in your ears, making your sleep environment quiet helps lull us and keep us asleep.

-Bedroom isn’t sufficiently dark

In most hotels, black out draperies are available, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Just make sure the drapes are tightly closed. However, if you’re in someone’s home, there’s no telling what you may encounter. Plan ahead and pack an eye mask. Clearly, they’re second to having room darkening draperies, but, if that’s not an option, the masks help quite a bit. We need pitch darkness for quality sleep. 

-Too warm 

Trying to sleep in a warm room is quite challenging. That’s not what our brains are wired for. Ask your hosts if it’s possible to reduce the heat - 68-70 degrees F is great. If for some reason that’s not possible, please bring cooling nightwear with you and/or sleep naked. People also find using a fan to be of value for cooling and offering white noise.

-Jet lag 

If you’ve hopped on a plane to your holiday destination, and especially if you’ve crossed time zones, that clearly can have a detrimental impact on sleep. Besides doing all the above, please also:

-Eat your meals starting from when you’re on your flight going to your destination according to the new time zone. Do this throughout your stay - even if you’re not hungry.

-Get bright light in the morning. Go outside or use Re-Timer Light Therapy Glasses for approximately 20 min and complete that light exposure by 8:30am.*

-Hydrate - 8 to 16 oz of water works well - first thing in the morning.*

-Get some body activity in each day - 30 min walk works just fine.*

-Feeling stressed

Holidays can be a time of cheer, but also one of angst. Stress or anxiety can interfere in good sleep. Please stay mindful of your emotional well-being. If you’re anxious or overwhelmed by anything, consider chanting, silently reciting the Loving/Kindness mediation, practicing gentle yoga, etc. All can help to calm especially if we practice them not only by night, but by day as well.

You may also love using a cool pack behind your neck for 20 minutes to activate your vagus nerve – connected to the relaxation center. Moreover, if you have racing thoughts right before going to sleep or waking up during the night, try placing a cool pack across your forehead to quiet those thoughts.

Conclusion

There is much we can do to support good sleep whether we are home or not. Don’t let travel and/or sleeping any place other than your home discourage you from getting great sleep. A few simple behaviors followed and items packed can go a very long way to feeling terrific even when you’re on the go. 

Happy holidays friends!

*These recommendations are great to follow whether or not you’ve changed time zones.