Sticking to Your Sleeping Patterns at Christmas

It's not just the kids waiting up for Santa on Christmas Eve who are going without sleep. Christmas is the one time of year where most people's sleeping patterns get disrupted. The season of indulgence seems to hit every part of our lives except sleep.

In our social media survey, we asked our follows if the run up to Christmas made them feel tired, fatigued or short of sleep at all. A huge 87% of those who responded said “Yes”.

But why is it important to keep a good sleep schedule?

Sleeping well can boost your immunity, keep you from snacking during the day, fend off anxiety and depression and even ward off heart disease.

A few sleepless nights will see you become irritable and fuzzy. But a longer-term lack of sleep doesn't just make you grumpy and unfocused. It can also have some very negative consequences on your health.

After just a couple of weeks of disrupted and poor-quality sleep, the effects can really start to show. Brain fog can kick in and make it difficult for you to concentrate during the day. You will begin to feel emotionally down, as well as drowsy throughout the day. There's even the risks that you could nod off during the day leading to accidents and injury.

How much sleep do you need?

It's recommended that most of us get around 8 hours sleep a night, meaning good-quality sleep. It varies from person to person, with some people feeling fine with just 6 or 7, but if you're feeling like a nap every afternoon then you're probably not getting enough.

Keep your sleeping schedule intact this Christmas

Stick to your routine - you may have a packed calendar of social engagements during December, but getting to bed at the same time every day if important, even if it's a little later than usual. Your body needs sleep to recover from the extra activity - restoring your energy levels and repairing your muscles.

Give your body a break - we're not saying skip the mince pies, but a too many of them can leave you tossing and turning at night. Your body needs a few hours to digest food, so get your festive feasts in early.

Pass on the prosecco (after dinner) - trying to have your last glass of alcohol with your dinner and then switch to water after. Alcohol reduces REM sleep, which research suggests has a big effect on your memory, learning, and mood.

Don't rely on caffeine or sugar - reaching for high-caffeine coffee or high-sugar energy drinks is not a good habit to get into over Christmas. If you really need a boost, try a low-caffeine option like green tea (we'd recommend our TEA+ Energy, of course).

Make the most of the lie-ins - if you’ve got the festive period off work, you’ll probably have a few lines during the sleepy period between Christmas and New Year. Make the most of them, but still try to keep to a routine. It’ll help your body get back to normal when the alarm goes off on January 2nd.

We all know sleep is important for your overall health, so don't let the festive period keep you up at night.

Join the conversation

Do you have any tips to share for the sleepy Santas? Let us know! We’ll be talking all things Christmas this week, so join us on Twitter or Facebook to discuss!