How To Stick To A Solid Sleep Routine During Holidays

Part of getting organised is all about getting a great sleep every night. During the regular working week, this is easy enough, but when it comes to holidays, it feels like all bets are off. Just like when you were a kid, you feel compelled to stay up all night gaming, watching movies, or eating junk food. While there’s nothing wrong with this in small doses, too much can ruin your sleep schedule to the point that it feels like you’ve wasted your holiday. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, here are some essential tips on how to stick to a solid sleep routine during holidays.

Set Alarms and Ditch the Snooze Button

When the holidays come, the thought of keeping your regular alarms is likely to make you groan. Still, while you don’t need to get up at the same time as you usually do, you can still set an alarm to stop you from oversleeping. To make it easier to get out of bed, get rid of the snooze button and endeavour to wake up properly before the last alarm rings.

Keep Consistent

You might feel you’re too old for a bedtime, however, going to bed and waking up at the same time every night and day will help you develop a consistent routine. It might be difficult at first, especially if you’re used to going to sleep late, but the earlier you wake up, the more tired you’ll be earlier. You should also consider methods to ease you easier into sleep, such as exercise during the day, reading rather than playing on your phone in bed, and meditating to slow your heartbeat.

Embrace the Light

The harsh light of day is the last thing people want to see when they wake up too early in the morning, but allowing the sun to wash through the window can help you wake up at the same time everyday. Your body will adapt naturally to the daytime, and likewise the night time, giving you a fresh jolt of vitamin D to get you going. Keep the blinds or curtains as open as is comfortable to force you out of bed, and if you still feel groggy, have your morning coffee in your garden or on your balcony to make you feel more awake.

But Also Dim the Lights

While the morning sun is fantastic for helping you wake up, you should also consider how harsh light from house lights and lamps can affect you in the evening. Leaving the lights on too bright once the sun goes down will affect your sleep quality as your brain will find it difficult to disassociate from the day. By dimming the lights (or using soft lighting from lamps and candles if you don’t have dimmers), you can ease your mind towards tiredness to help you get to sleep more comfortably.

Eat at the Right Time

Eating at the right time is another thing that will help you develop a solid sleep routine. You want to be neither too full nor too hungry before going to bed, as this will only cause discomfort, so try to eat at the same time every night to give your body time to digest the food. It’s also useful to minimise how much you drink in the evening to save you running to the bathroom too frequently, which is another thing that can seriously impact sleep quality.

Sleep Easy

It’s always tempting to throw caution to the wind when it comes to embracing the freedom of your holiday. However, if you want to guarantee you make the most of it, sticking to a regular sleep routine will make you feel more energised, more productive and much happier, too.

Sources:

Healthy Sleep Tips – Sleep Foundation
How to Get on a Sleep Schedule – Sleep.org