How do you get your sleep patterns back on track after the holidays?

CEO of sleep products company Blue Sleep

How to properly restore the sleep regime?

New Year’s holidays are very disruptive: at first, we, carried away by salads and alcoholic drinks, do not get enough sleep, and then we try to get enough sleep not only for New Year’s Eve, but also for the whole past year. Why is it dangerous to disrupt the regime and how to restore it?

Also, along with the regime, the hormonal background is disrupted. For example, the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for the smooth awakening in the morning, begins to be produced in excess and at the wrong time. This is the reason why we are sluggish and tired during the day, although it would seem that we slept through lunch and should have slept well or went to bed just an hour later than usual.

How to restore the regimen?

Do not throw off the regime permanently
A sleepless night on New Year’s Eve doesn’t mean you have to sleep all the next day. Get up at the usual time, even if you lie down later or almost in the morning. This way you won’t disrupt your subsequent bedtime, and you’ll gradually make it up to your body for a fun night.

Exercise
A long weekend is a great excuse to spend more time outdoors, learn to snowboard or go on a ski run. Sports releases happy hormones, strengthens your nervous system and improves your mood. Training and any activity is best done in the morning. This way you are more likely to wake up, learn discipline and feel more alert throughout the day. But evening sports overexcites the nervous system and provokes problems with falling asleep.

Eliminate gadgets and sleep in the dark
It is important to sleep in the dark, but wake up, on the contrary, in the light. Sleeping in total darkness produces the important hormone melatonin. Use a sleep mask or hang thick curtains. But cortisol, which helps you wake up in the morning, is produced in the light. Therefore, at the moment of awakening in the bedroom should be light. In the winter season, this is almost impossible. But gadgets can help. For example, a smart bulb can turn on the light synchronously with the alarm clock or at any time you specify.

Scrolling through your Instagram feed and watching movies before bedtime is a bad habit. When watching a new episode of your favorite series, you can easily lose track of time, and the light of the screen in the dark negatively affects the nervous system. Therefore, before going to bed it is better to choose entertainment calmer and harmless, for example, read a book.

Love the process of preparing for sleep and sleep itself
Come up with a special ritual before bedtime, for example, a warm shower and aromatherapy – the smells of lavender and melissa will help to calm down and tune in to sleep. Make some herbal tea, open a favorite book and avoid difficult conversations before bedtime.