'Tis the Season of Holiday Stress: How to Cope with Stress and a Lack of Sleep

It’s said that the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season arrives, stress can present itself in more ways than one. From the exhaustion of coordinating gift buying for family and friends, preparing for and attending holiday parties, completing end-of-year work at the office, adapting to changing household schedules for both children and adults, the holidays can bring a lot of stress as we try to juggle it all.

As we race toward the holidays and their associated festivities, be mindful of the power of sleep and the factors that can potentially threaten your overall sleep health.

At the end of every week in December, we will release a new blog on how to sleep well through the craziness of the holiday season. First up, let’s talk about stress.

It’s the Most Stressful Time of the Year!

The American Psychological Association has found that 38% of people say their stress increases over the holidays. Stress can contribute to pre-bedtime racing thoughts and tension, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Stress can also cause many people to lose hours of much-needed sleep.

Emotional, financial and workplace stress often surface during the holiday season, all of which can negatively affect your body and your sleep life. Determining and sticking to financial budgets for holiday gift-giving and exchanges and working tirelessly trying to meet shortened deadlines before the end of the fiscal year can all contribute to added stress and anxiety this month. The holiday season can also be difficult for individuals coping with the loss of a loved one.

Preventing Stress this Holiday Season

While the holidays can be a busy, stressful time of year, it’s important to carve out time to get adequate sleep. Here are several ways to prevent stress and anxiety this holiday season:

1.    Plan ahead

As the holidays are quickly approaching, start planning what you want your next few weeks to look like. Although this is the most stressful time of year, don’t forget that it can be the most festive and enjoyable time of year as well. Take advantage of the amazing festivities and activities this time of year has to offer, but also don’t be afraid to decline an event if it is going to add stress or impact your sleep health.

2.    Stick to a gift-giving budget

This December, remove financial stress by creating a reasonable budget before buying gifts. By sticking to this budget, your bank accounts will thank you come 2023.

3.    Practice stress management and relaxation techniques

Take a minute to breathe when you begin to feel the pressure of the holiday season. Practicing deep breathing, guided meditation, and limiting screen time will help relax and refocus your body and mind, especially near bedtime.

4.    Stay physically active

Daily exercise can be an effective stress reducer and help you sleep better. We encourage you to get out and stay active to decrease stress levels consistently.

5.    Implement a healthy bedtime routine

While the business of the holiday season may sometimes prevent it, establishing a bedtime routine will help to relax your mind and relieve any stress that might attempt to keep you up at night. 

Wishing you many nights of stressless, restful sleep throughout this holiday season and beyond!

You don’t have to keep putting up with sleepless nights. At FusionSleep®, we have dedicated our entire medical practice to helping patients as young as two years old get their lives back through healthy sleep. We offer various sleep solutions, in-lab and at-home sleep testing options, and virtual appointments on our established telemedicine platform. Contact us today on our website or by calling 678.990.3962.