by Sleep expert Angela Holliday-Bell, MD, says the holidays tend to create the perfect storm for fatigue-induced collisions – and it all starts where you crouch. “You may not sleep in your normal sleeping environment, which can often make it difficult for you to sleep as usual,” he says. (Confession: Leaving my gravity blanket makes me about 47 percent more likely to start arguing.) foods with sugar or alcohol consumption that can affect your sleep. When these factors coincide, suddenly, you just get away with a few hours of sleep at night. And that’s simple not enough to be your best self.
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But why does lack of sleep give us so little security from the start? Dr. Holliday-Bell says the reason why poor sleep affects irritability is because different parts of your brain talk to each other. “As you sleep, there is increased communication between your amygdala, the emotional control center of the brain, and your prefrontal cortex, which helps you control certain mental and executive functions. If you lose sleep, you receive less communication and therefore less “It can make you feel more irritated and it can also make your brain trigger a faster response to the stress of battle or flight.” these Thanksgiving dinner spasms;)
Because no one wants to be the one who continues to spoil the holiday fun, I asked Dr. Holliday-Bell how to put your best foot, er REM, as we move into the holiday season. Here are some tips to help you stay on top of your sleep routine so you don’t have to deal with the complex effects of regular holiday stress and sleep deprivation when you know you need to be happy.
If We Know Why Bad Sleep Affects Irritability, Apply These 4 Tips To Prioritize Sleep
1. Recreate your normal sleep environment
Do you like to hear white noise when you sleep? Do you love silk sheets? Do you prefer the right side of the bed? No matter where you go on vacation, Dr. Holliday-Bell recommends keeping these rituals intact as best you can. “Your mind makes strong connections between certain actions and sleep. This means that performing these actions or having these experiences signals to your brain that it is time for sleep and that it facilitates sleep,” he says. Although it may sound a bit demanding to throw away your favorite pillow or the four books you like to keep on your bedside table, isn’t it better than fighting with a cousin you haven’t seen in five years? Having your creature’s comforts with you during your travels can just make the difference between quality sleep and high irritability.
2. Be prepared to turn off annoying noises or lighting
“When you are in a different sleeping environment, such as a relative’s house, you can not control all the factors you can in the house, such as light or sounds that enter the bedroom at night. For this reason, I always recommend traveling with a blackout sleep mask and earplugs or bluetooth sleep headphones, so you can block out noise and light that can affect sleep, ”says Dr. Holliday-Bell. BRB, I’re going to get dark shades sent to my parents’ house.
Stick to your normal waking and sleeping schedule as best you can
Yes, it is tempting to stay up late drinking eggnog and watching holiday movies — but Dr. Holliday-Bell recommends that you resist the urge for the most part. “This may be difficult because FOMO is a real holiday destination, but you’ll be better off with it. “I recommend that you try to adhere to normal sleep and wake-up hours within an hour to maintain a steady circadian rhythm and reduce the risk of poor sleep and subsequent drowsiness or irritability.” So, for example, you might be waking up to its annual screening Elfbut go to bed while everyone else is out playing the drunken mail scene.
4. Try to stop eating at least two hours before bedtime
Give your body plenty of time to digest afterwards, so you do not end up staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night. This should not be a big problem if your family is eating a Thanksgiving dinner at 3 p.m.
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