I’m struggling to sleep as Christmas approaches, any tips?
Anon, Whenuapai
The holiday season can be stressful. Events, presents, gatherings, spending time with people you may not want to, it’s a lot. Squeezing in too many things can make us feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, and this commonly leads to poor sleep.
Sleep hygiene is a great place to start when trying to achieve more slumber. It is where we do things to encourage our body clock to tick as it should, so we secrete the right amounts of the hormone melatonin and therefore achieve quality sleep. This means getting up and going to bed at the same time each day (easier said than done when there are presents to wrap). If that is difficult to achieve during the holidays, other tweaks such as exposing yourself to natural daylight as soon as you wake and darkening your bedroom with block out curtains can help.
Our bodies like to be between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius for optimal sleep, so unless you have air conditioning (heaven!), it would be sensible to invest in a fan. There are clever mattress protectors that cool when you touch them, so are also a great option. A cold shower just before bed and sleeping with your hair wet is a great way to lower and maintain core body temperature as well - much easier to achieve if you start warm then go cold right at the end for a minute or so. Cold showers are also fantastic for stimulating release of anti-ageing proteins, strengthening the immune system, releasing endorphins and stimulating production of brown fat (fat that keeps us warm and helps us lose weight). A great option to add to your routine for multiple benefits – I now miss it if I don’t go cold at the end of my showers!
Other great ways of stimulating sleep is to exercise during the day (a good walk can do wonders), avoid daytime naps and reduce blue light exposure from screens before bed. Avoiding caffeine at least 6 hours before bed is also recommended, as is having a solid bedtime routine, where you wind down with same sequence of events. A great example would be a cold shower, reading a book, meditating and a non-caffeinated tea such as chamomile. Writing a list of things you need to do to remove them from your mind is also a great way to minimize brain chatter when lying in bed. If these fail, the next step would be to have a chat with your family Doctor about medications and to address any other possible causes of insomnia, such as anxiety or thyroid dysfunction.
Sleep is something we don’t miss until it’s gone. Sleep disruption is common, especially around the holidays so remember to be kind to yourself. Sometimes letting go of our own self-criticism can unlock the barriers we have with sleep, allowing a much more enjoyable slumber and holiday season.