Hack To Get Yourself Back On Track After Holidays

The holiday season can totally mess up your sleep schedule, even if you have no issues the rest of the year. Between busy evenings celebrating, big meals, late nights and more hours on the couch than we’d care to admit, our sleep patterns seem like a thing of the past at this point, but they’re just in need of a New Year refresh.

As we head back into our work routines, these sleep hacks can help. They’re simple, easy to keep up and are designed to get your sleep back on track. Plus, you may actually stick to them, unlike a lot of resolutions.

• Re-focusing on your wind-down routine - During the holidays, you may have easily moved straight from socializing to bed and had no trouble falling asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow. But most nights we need to prepare our bodies to snooze because sheer exhaustion just doesn’t do it. Some swear by dark showering, which helps relax the body, others like journaling, and picking up one of the books you got for Christmas is a good option, too.
• Starting gentle pre-bed exercise - If the only steps you got some days during the holiday break were moving from the couch to the kitchen, you’re in good company. But if you’re ready to be more active in the New Year, it can also help with sleep. While you don’t want to do any strenuous workouts that get the blood pumping right before bed, as that rush can make it harder to drift off, lighter physical activity can be calming. Yoga and tai chi are linked to better sleep as they help lower the heart rate and can ease racing minds, and a few minutes of Pilates before bed can help prep you for rest, too.
• Gradually adjusting your bedtime - Those late nights you enjoyed were fine during the holiday break, but aren’t so good when you want to have a productive work week. But suddenly forcing yourself back to a 10 p.m. bedtime may leave your body clock wondering what’s going on. Instead, Dr. Lindsay Browning, psychologist and neuroscientist, recommends heading to bed 20 minutes earlier every night to slowly get back to your usual bedtime. She says it’s “easily doable and has no negative effects whatsoever,” and after three nights of doing it, you’ll be going to bed an hour earlier.⠀

Source: Tom's Guide