Every January, sleep clinics see a wave of patients who’ve spent the holiday season completely torpedoing their sleep. Late nights, extra alcohol, irregular schedules, stress, travel — it’s basically a masterclass in everything that disrupts circadian rhythm. And the worst part? Most people don’t realise how long it takes to dig themselves out of the hole.

You don’t need to be a monk over the holidays. But a few practical strategies can keep things from going completely off the rails.

Why Holidays Are So Hard on Sleep

It’s not just one thing. The holidays deliver a perfect storm of sleep-disrupting factors:

Schedule chaos. Your circadian clock thrives on consistency. When you’re suddenly going to bed at 1 AM instead of 10:30 PM, sleeping in until 9 or 10, and napping on the couch at 3 PM, you’re sending your internal clock a series of very confusing signals.

Alcohol. This is the big one, and most people get it wrong. Yes, a couple of drinks makes you feel sleepy. But alcohol fragments the second half of your night severely. It suppresses REM sleep, increases awakenings, and worsens snoring and sleep apnea. That nightcap isn’t helping — it’s borrowing from later in the night.

Food and timing. Heavy meals close to bedtime force your digestive system to work when it should be winding down. Spicy food, in particular, raises core body temperature, which is the opposite of what your body needs to initiate sleep.

Stress. For all the talk of holiday cheer, the season is genuinely stressful for many people. Family tensions, financial pressure, travel logistics — these all fuel the kind of rumination that keeps you staring at the ceiling at midnight.

Strategies That Actually Work

I’m not going to tell you to avoid all alcohol and go to bed at 9 PM on Christmas Eve. That’s unrealistic, and unrealistic advice gets ignored. Instead, here’s what’s practical:

Keep Your Wake Time Consistent

This is the single most impactful thing you can do. Your wake time is the anchor for your circadian rhythm. If you normally wake at 6:30 AM, try not to push that past 8 AM on holiday mornings. Sleeping in an extra 90 minutes on the weekend is fine. Sleeping in three or four hours creates something called “social jet lag” — and yes, research from the University of Arizona confirms it produces the same cognitive effects as crossing time zones.

Going to bed later is less disruptive than waking up later. Counterintuitive, but true.

Manage Alcohol Strategically

You don’t have to skip the champagne. But try to:

• Finish your last drink at least 3-4 hours before bed
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with water
• Set a firm limit before you start drinking (two or three, not “we’ll see”)

The goal is to have the alcohol mostly metabolised before you actually try to sleep. Your liver processes roughly one standard drink per hour, so plan accordingly.

Protect Your Sleep Environment

If you’re sleeping in a guest room, a hotel, or your childhood bedroom, the unfamiliar environment itself can disrupt sleep. This is called the first-night effect, and it’s well documented — one hemisphere of your brain literally stays more alert when you sleep somewhere new.

Bring your own pillow if you can. Pack earplugs and an eye mask. If the room is too warm (most heated guest rooms are), crack a window. Ideal sleep temperature is around 18-19°C (65-67°F), cooler than most people think.

Don’t Abandon Your CPAP

This one’s for my sleep apnea patients specifically. I know the CPAP is a hassle to travel with. I know it’s embarrassing to set up at your in-laws’ house. But stopping therapy for a week or two undoes the adaptation you’ve built up, and restarting can feel like going through that miserable first week all over again.

If portability is the issue, talk to your sleep clinic about a travel CPAP. Units like the ResMed AirMini are significantly smaller and run at full therapeutic pressure.

Use Light Strategically

Bright light exposure in the morning helps reset your circadian clock. Step outside for 15-20 minutes after waking, even on overcast days. In the evening, dim the lights after dinner — it’s about overall light intensity signalling to your brain that nighttime is approaching.

Handle the Post-Holiday Reset

If you end up with a shifted schedule by New Year’s, don’t snap back all at once. Shift your bedtime and wake time back by 15-30 minutes each day until you’re back to normal.

When to Be Concerned

Occasional holiday sleep disruption is normal and recoverable. But if you’re consistently sleeping poorly for weeks after the holidays end, or if you notice new symptoms like loud snoring, gasping awake, or extreme daytime fatigue, it might be worth a conversation with your doctor. Sometimes the holidays just expose a sleep problem that was brewing underneath all along.

Enjoy the season. Eat the food, see the people, have the drinks. Just don’t completely sacrifice your sleep at the altar of festivity — you’ll pay for it well into January.