How To Get Back to your Regular Sleep Schedule After Holidays

There's nothing worse than coming home from a holiday and feeling like you haven't slept for ages…

The first few days are always tough. You’ve been on a different sleep schedule and it takes a while to get back into the swing of things.

Your body clock is thrown off, you were surrounded by people who didn't go to bed early and you probably ate late into the night.

If you are in that situation, here are some tips on how to sleep better at home after your sleep schedule was messed up during the holidays:

 

 

Set an earlier bedtime

You might be tempted to stay up late catching up on your favorite shows and movies, but staying up late will throw off your body's natural rhythm. 

If possible, eat dinner early so that you can go straight to bed once dinner has finished. This should help encourage better quality sleep at night time.

If you're used to going to bed at 11 p.m., don't try to push it back by an hour or two until your body adjusts — that will just make it harder for you to fall asleep at a reasonable hour… 

Instead, go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual for the first few nights, then adjust accordingly as needed.

This will help reset your internal clock — the body's natural rhythm for when it should fall asleep and wake up — so that you're more likely to fall asleep quickly when it's time for bed each night.

 

 

Re-establish your routine

When you're on holiday you stay up late as there are fewer restrictions than usual. 

But when you get home, it's crucial to go back to the same bedtime schedule as before leaving (or sooner if possible). 

Establishing a regular bedtime routine can help prevent feelings of jet lag and will help you get back into the swing of things faster.

Set an alarm for the same time each day. This helps your body get used to going back to sleep at the same time every night. 

It also helps you reset your internal clock so that you're getting enough sleep during the week. 

If possible, set two alarms so that you don't accidentally oversleep on weekends or days off from work.

If you wake up during the night, don't look at the clock or think too hard about why you're awake; this can make it harder for you to fall back asleep. 

Instead, get up slowly and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again.

 

 

Ditch the booze

Stop drinking alcohol before bedtime.

I would go as far as avoiding alcohol within three hours from going to sleep.

Alcohol can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night or early morning, disrupting your circadian rhythm and making you drowsy during the day. 

It also increases snoring and interferes with breathing, which can lead to shallow sleep or even awakenings due to gasps for air.

 

 

Gravid blanket

A weighted blanket can help you sleep better, reduce stress, and improve your mood.

It calms you down by providing pressure to the body through deep touch pressure (DTP). 

DTP mimics the feeling of safety and security, stimulating the production of serotonin and melatonin in the brain which helps us relax and fall asleep faster at night.

If you want to sleep better and feel more relaxed and well rested, give weighted blankets a go, they really are a game changer.

If you use these 4 tips I guarantee a much less dramatic return to “normal life.” And even if you aren’t on holidays, they will improve the quality of your sleep. 

Try them!