Holidays and days off can have an impact on our sleep. Holiday celebrations can throw off naps and can interfere with bedtime. It can be nice to have a break from the day to day schedule, but I think many of us find ourselves craving some routine and normalcy after a holiday.
This is also often the case after school vacation weeks or family trips as well.
Here are some tips to help your family get sleep back on track after a holiday.
Get back to your consistent bedtime routines
I am a big fan of bedtime routines. Once your break is over and you are ready to get sleep back on track, I suggest you jump right back into those consistent sleep routines. This is the same for any other daily routines your family may have such as meal times or other daily rituals. Our little ones may not be able to tell time, but these routines help their bodies know what is going on with their day and what to expect next.
Be intentional with light exposure
If you’ve been sleeping in or staying up late, your internal clock may be off. This is true for all of us! You can use light exposure to help get your body rhythms back on track. This means that when you wake up, open up the curtains and let in the light. If you are able to get outside in the morning, that is even better. Keep it nice and bright during the day, and get outside whenever possible. And then, as the day is winding down, at least 1-2 hours before bedtime, dim the lights. You can draw the curtains or turn off the overhead lights and use lamps. Also, during this time you will want to avoid screens as they emit blue light which can be disruptive to our sleep.
Assess the overall schedule
Has your family been sleep deprived during your vacation? Staying up late or waking up early? If this is the case, then you may need to make some temporary adjustments to help get out of an overtired cycle. You may need to do an earlier bedtime for a few nights while everyone gets back on track. If your children are napping, you may find they take slightly longer naps, or if you have a little one who has dropped their nap recently they may need that nap for a few days.
Look at nutrition
For many of us, holidays and vacation can be times where we eat lots of different foods. The holidays tend to bring along extra sweets, and that is fine, but at the same time it can also have an impact on sleep. If you have sweets lingering around post holiday, try to avoid having them as snacks too close to naps and bedtime. If your child needs a bedtime snack, you may want to consider options like some whole wheat crackers with cheese or a banana instead. Getting back to consistent times for meals and snacks can also be helpful for regulating our body rhythms.
Patience
It’s okay if your family’s sleep has been different during this time. Generally, after a few days of being home and getting back to your usual routines and schedules everyone’s sleep will get right back to where it was before your holiday.
If you’ve been home for a few weeks and are still struggling with disrupted sleep, it may be time to take a closer look.
If you want personalized support, you can schedule a free discovery call to talk with me about your challenges and see how we could work together to support you with helping your family get their best sleep.
Don’t have time for a call, but still interested in getting more support? Check out my Complete Guide to Sleep Success!
