Can’t Sleep Around the Holidays? Follow this Healthy Meal Guide

Can’t seem to sleep before, after or around the holidays? From foods that hinder your sleep, to a strange 2020 holiday season, I’d bet a lot of us are facing more restless nights these next few months.

To lighten things up a little, I’m going to share my advice, starting with a healthy holiday meal guide. You’ll learn how you can enjoy holiday food and focus more on foods that help you sleep; reduce foods that hinder your sleep–and just enjoy yourself! 

Why can’t I sleep during the holidays?

Of course, while my focus this week is to give you a healthy, sleep friendly holiday meal guide, a quick reminder that, if you’re struggling to sleep before or after a holiday, sleep-inducing food alone isn’t the whole answer.

One of the other major factors relating to why you can’t sleep has to do with higher levels of stress, whether that’s due to holiday shopping, seeing family, or preparing. In fact, the relationship between sleep and stress has been well documented. Stress can affect our sleep patterns and may even make us less likely to prioritize sleep.

Your Sleep Friendly Holiday Meal Guide

Most of the year, I make an effort to follow a healthy, balanced diet. For me, that looks like a nice mix of complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats and, of course, fruits and vegetables. Intermittent fasting helps me sleep during the holidays by keeping me on track. 

But when it comes to enjoying a holiday meal, I let myself indulge a little, especially around this time of year. Here’s how I eat and plan my holiday meals. I’ve also been experimenting more this year because we are all having smaller gatherings!

Add Tryptophan Toppings to Holiday Classics

It may be post-Thanksgiving, but turkey isn’t the only, or even main source of tryptophan, an amino acid that supports the production of the ‘sleep hormone’ melatonin. While you’d need to eat a lot to see a large impact, even small amounts can help. Nuts, seeds, dairy, and even honey are natural sources. 

Appetizers and Desserts

Roast nuts and seeds with cinnamon.  They also work great as salad toppers. For an extra special treat, and a healthy alternative to pie, scoop up low fat frozen yogurt and top with nuts and honey (my favorite is BeeKeeper’s Natural). 

Make Healthy Swaps

One of the biggest reasons you can’t sleep after a holiday meal is going too heavy on the fats and sweets. High consumption of sugar and fat disrupts sleep and decreases slow-wave sleep. While one holiday meal probably won’t wreck your sleep long term, a holiday season might have a longer term impact.   

Instead of banishing frosted sugar cookies, mashed potatoes, and festive sides, I just give them a healthy makeover.

Side and Savory Dishes

It’s all about moderation. If I plan on eating sugar cookies, I like to go for lighter side dishes; instead of loaded scalloped potatoes, I’ll serve baked potatoes with chives and just a dollop of sour cream. I may swap casserole for whole wheat bread and a side salad.

For a main dish, a great swap for a fatty red meat like prime rib is salmon. Salmon is a food that helps you sleep because it’s rich in Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which help regulate serotonin. 

Desserts

Enjoy desserts in moderation. But if you want to trim fat and sugar, consider healthy alternatives, with bigger focus on naturally sweet fruit, fiber, and satiating fats. Baked apples are a lighter alternative to apple pie if you’ve already had a heavy meal. Lower fat and sugar swaps include replacing some butter with applesauce in baked goods; using figs and dates, or sugar replacements like Xylitol. Using more spices and seasonings rather than sugar can also reduce calories while increasing flavor.

Swap Your Drink

I love having a nice drink or two during the holidays. But one thing I don’t do? Drink caffeinated or alcoholic beverages late at night. I go for a festive drink during dinner, then switch to sleep-inducing, but still delicious, beverages later. 

Tart Cherry Juice

Cherry juice is bright, bold and festive–and so happens to be sleep-inducing. While not as powerful as some other sleep remedies, research suggests that tart cherries, a natural source of melatonin, increase both sleep duration and sleep efficiency. In other words, it’s a good drink to have if you are struggling to sleep post-holiday.  I love mixing tart cherry with sparkling water and ice for a delicious and refreshing drink.

Soothing Herbal Tea

I may love coffee for an afternoon boost, but after a long holiday nothing quite beats curling up with a steaming cup of herbal tea while I wind down. One of my favorites is the Reishi Calm Elixir from Pique Tea. 

Not being able to sleep around the holidays is normal–but with these tips, you can get back to a regular sleep scheduling and enjoying holidays and the meals that accompany them to their fullest.

The post Can’t Sleep Around the Holidays? Follow this Healthy Meal Guide appeared first on Your Guide to Better Sleep.

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