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Your Zen Guide to the Holidays — 5 Tips for Sleeping Well

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During the holiday season, people living with diabetes face the added stress of coping with their blood glucose levels. These can be easily affected by heavy holiday meals, alcohol, general stress and cold weather. With a bit of planning ahead and some helpful tips, you can get a handle on your stress and breeze through the holidays with a smile.

A beautiful thing is never perfect

Christmas BaubleThere seems to be added pressure during the holidays to make everything perfect: the perfect gifts, the perfect decorations, the perfect meal, the perfect outfit, etc. All this perfection is impossible to achieve, so don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Give yourself a break and know that whatever you accomplish will be loved and appreciated by family and friends.

Laughter is good for the soul

Research suggests that simply doing or watching something funny, like viewing a comedy movie, will alter your mood in a positive way. Bad, stress-related hormones become decreased, while good immunity responses increase.

Five tips to improve your sleep over the holidays

SleepingSome researchers believe that neurons, the cells that make up your nervous system, need time to shut down and repair themselves. Without this recharging, they cannot function at their best. In the short term, lack of sleep can impair your concentration, memory and physical performance. Extended periods can lead to mood swings. Plus, researchers have found that too little sleep can suppress the immune hormones that regulate the body’s ability to fight disease. As a result, even a moderate lack of sleep can lead to high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, or bone loss. So be sure to keep up with your sleep to stay happy and healthy during the holidays.

Lynne Maarouf, RD, the diabetes education director of the Stark Diabetes Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, says high blood glucose is a red flag for sleep problems among people with diabetes for another reason. “People who are tired will eat more because they want to get energy from somewhere,” she says. “That can mean consuming sugar or other foods that can spike blood sugar levels.”1

Follow these five tips for improved slumber:

1. Spend time with family and close friends
Celebrating with family and friends is something you’ll probably do anyway this holiday season, but did you know that it’s a perfect way to de-stress and get a good night’s rest? Gift exchanges and catching up with loved ones over the holidays can increase your levels of oxytocin, a biochemical that blocks the body’s chief stress chemical, which lets you sleep easier at night.

2. Rent a comedy
The holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, is a must-see this time of year, but there are many Christmas comedies to choose from that will help you wind down for the night. A study from the University of California shows that watching a funny movie actually increases the anti-stress hormone by 87%. So, take a load off and turn to your TV for classics like Elf, A Christmas Story or Scrooged—and you’ll soon be relaxed for bed.

3. Take a nap
Studies show that taking an afternoon nap will help you catch up with any sleep deprivation you experience at night as well as invigorate you and boost your energy level without affecting your usual sleep pattern. You can nap for up to 90 minutes but if you’re not a napper, considering lying down for 20 minutes at the same time each day. This routine will allow your body to adjust and quickly help you relax during the day.

4. Take a walk in the snow
Studies from the University of Arizona show that walking short distances, just six blocks, at a normal pace during the day can significantly improve sleep.
Taking the time for outdoor activities such as building a snowman, hitting the ski slopes, or just taking a casual stroll can help reduce the time it takes to get to sleep by 12 minutes, plus it can increase your total sleep time by 42 minutes.

5. Relax before bed
Including a winding down routine before bed will help you relax. However busy your day has been, with chores, children, work and other activities, remember to take an hour for yourself before bed to simply relax and prepare yourself for a good night’s sleep.

Exercise your right to a happy holiday

Exercise is an important and essential activity for anyone living with diabetes. It gives you more energy, enhances your immune system and helps work out the tension in your muscles. Plus, you do not need to spend a long time at a fitness facility—try for shorter periods of exercise throughout the day. Stretch, work out, or spend some time outdoors. Physical activity is still the best way to exert stored energy. Get out of the house and get your circulation moving. Activity is the best medicine for stress.

Take a breather from stress

Christmas CoupleWhen you’re stressed, you breathe faster, so your body can take in more oxygen. Your heart rate increases as your body pumps extra blood to your muscles and brain, delivering oxygen to the systems that may need it. Slowing your breathing down can help you relax and perhaps even make your body believe that the stressful situation has ended. Try breathing slowly and deeply through your nose. We tend to take faster, shallower breaths when we are stressed, but a deliberate change might persuade your body to feel calmer.

Beating the holiday blues

As happy as they are for some, the holidays can be equally difficult for others. Many of us feel drained emotionally and physically after the holidays, but some people may feel that way before they’ve even begun. The arrival of the holiday season, with its strong focus on joy, loved ones and community, can make those who are already struggling feel even more hopeless.

To help you cope with stress during the holiday season, try to follow your regular routine as much as possible. If that includes counselling or therapy, keep your appointments during this hectic time of year. If you like the idea of spending time with family but find the actual experience draining, set boundaries that you feel comfortable with. Carve out time for yourself every day to relax and reflect, even if it means turning down some invitations.

The holidays also provide the opportunity to help those less fortunate than you. You can volunteer at a local soup kitchen or animal shelter, or participate in a community drive that collects gifts for children. You’ll be doing some real good for both yourself and your community.

Christmas DoctorAbove all, please remember that you’re not the only one who may feel this way. Online chat rooms can provide a great forum to talk and connect with others in a similar situation and you can also let friends know that you’re in need of a pick-me-up. If your troubles are getting worse or you just feel like you are fighting a losing battle, talk to someone who understands. A professional psychiatrist, psychologist, counsellor or personal coach may improve your state of mind. Or you might consider talking to members of your personal healthcare team.

You deserve to feel happy, so make yourself your number one priority this holiday season.


References:

1Lynn Maarouf, RD, diabetes education director, Stark Diabetes Center, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/diabetes-lack-of-sleep. Accessed November 14, 2011.

Buchanan, Kathy, 6 tips for a good night's sleep. Best Health. http://www.besthealthmag.ca/embrace-life/sleep/6-tips-for-a-good-nights-sleep. Accessed November 14, 2011.

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