Can’t Sleep Around the Holidays? Follow this Healthy Meal Guide

Since it's just a week and a half until Christmas, this article from Dr. Michael Breus is pretty timely.

Can’t seem to sleep before, after or around the holidays? From foods that hinder your sleep, to a strange 2020 holiday season, I’d bet a lot of us are facing more restless nights these next few months.

To lighten things up a little, I’m going to share my advice, starting with a healthy holiday meal guide. You’ll learn how you can enjoy holiday food and focus more on foods that help you sleep; reduce foods that hinder your sleep–and just enjoy yourself!

This article may be even more timely next year when we're able to have more parties around the holiday season, so this may come up again next year as a Throwback Thursday.

Why you have trouble sleeping during the holidays:

Of course, while my focus this week is to give you a healthy, sleep friendly holiday meal guide, a quick reminder that, if you’re struggling to sleep before or after a holiday, sleep-inducing food alone isn’t the whole answer.

One of the other major factors relating to why you can’t sleep has to do with higher levels of stress, whether that’s due to holiday shopping, seeing family, or preparing. In fact, the relationship between sleep and stress has been well documented. Stress can affect our sleep patterns and may even make us less likely to prioritize sleep.

And this holiday season will probably be more stressful than most.

What to eat:

Most of the year, I make an effort to follow a healthy, balanced diet. For me, that looks like a nice mix of complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats and, of course, fruits and vegetables. Intermittent fasting helps me sleep during the holidays by keeping me on track.

But when it comes to enjoying a holiday meal, I let myself indulge a little, especially around this time of year. Here’s how I eat and plan my holiday meals. I’ve also been experimenting more this year because we are all having smaller gatherings!

Next are some suggestions of what to eat. The article also includes examples:

• Add Tryptophan Toppings to Holiday Classics
• Make Healthy Swaps
• Swap Your Drink

Not being able to sleep around the holidays is normal–but with these tips, you can get back to a regular sleep scheduling and enjoying holidays and the meals that accompany them to their fullest.

Be sure to check out the article for more details.

 Interesting days

Today - Chocolate Covered Anything Day and Day Of Reconciliation

Tomorrow - Maple Syrup Day, Wright Brothers Day and Re-gifting Day

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

Next Wednesday - Roots Day and Festivus

Month long celebrations:

Nov 26 - Dec 31: A Blue Christmas

January 16 - Nothing Day, Religious Freedom Day, International Hot and Spice Food Day and Appreciate A Dragon Day