How to sleep on Christmas Eve?!

[GotMooMilk]

Not the kids- me! I’m always knackered as running around, travelling, getting sorted, up late getting presents laid out etc but just cannot sleep on Christmas Eve since having kids. Not sure if it’s the anticipation of an early wake or the overthinking if everything is sorted (I don’t actively lie there feeling worried or anything) but just can’t sleep. This year I am determined to be better 😂

Anyone else have this? What do you do? I’m going to have a couple of mulled wines Christmas Eve to relax, have a space mask to hand for when in bed. Anything else?

I get insomnia a lot, and in a situation like yours the only thing that can help me is just accepting I might not sleep, and that I'll enjoy the quiet of the night and have a good rest instead.

You could also try a sleeping pill. Phenergan (an antihistamine) is great - you can get it over the counter in chemists.

Yes, if its just one night and you know its going to happen then take a sleeping pill. I use sleepeaze from boots.

Yoga before bed?

I read a book or watch TV show till late and try to focus on not falling asleep. Or I run a fantasy story in my head that is quite exciting and that I want to see through, and in actively trying to stay awake I end up falling asleep.

Take 3 magnesium glycinate tablets. They send me to the fastest and deepest sleep. However you do feel a bit groggy in the morning.

Do not have any mulled wine! If I have anything remotely anxiety inducing the next day, drinking alcohol is the way to guarantee that I will be wide awake at 2am. What you should do is do a great workout on Christmas Eve - get the muscles firing. Then eat your dinner nice and early so you’re not digesting anything (finish eating by 8pm max). Hydrate throughout the day so that you’re not suddenly parched at 9pm and drinking lots of water and then up at 1am for a pee. And as PP says, buy magnesium citrate and take 2/3 30 mins before bed. :)

I use ear plugs, read my kindle, two nightol tablets and I have started doing the military sleep method.

Thanks all. Glad it’s not just me it kills me!

Alcohol doesn’t help you sleep, it makes it worse so don’t do that. You may just have to accept you won’t sleep particularly well. I never sleep well on Christmas Eve either. Tend to fall asleep, feel like I’ve been in a very deep sleep for all of 10 minutes before DC burst in at some ungodly hour.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine. I'd make a list of everything you need to do and then when you've done it and checked everything off, put the list on your beside table so you can see you're done. Nice bath and a few beauty treatments and a wee read before bed gets me over.

Yeah, I'm a bit like this on Xmas Eve and on the night before holidays. I'd just accept the inevitable, lean into it, enjoy it and catch up on sleep later.

I do the story thing too! It's a saga running 20-plus years now. 🤣