How have you managed your holiday and sleep over the festive season?
For me, I had 3 mini-breaks which meant different climates and environments. Here’s how it looked…

Minibreak number 1
An overnight stay had me sleeping in a comfortable bed but the room was upstairs and the day had been hot, so it was warmer than my usual environment. The room had two windows and only one with a blind so the light flashing from the Xmas lights in the garden below annoyed my sleep sensitivity. Christmas festivities meant I had two alcoholic ciders and rarely drink except for the odd celebration. Alcohol combined with late to bed and early rising plus all the other distractions meant I slept rough! My sleep was not consolidated with frequent waking.

Minibreak number 2
One night back home and then away to the mountains of Victoria’s high country for a little camping fun. I had bought a blackout tent to block out the annoying lights at caravan parks that shine right through the average tent.
My essential getaway kit included my pillow, earplugs to manage external noise, and in this case, my self-inflating bed plus an extra layer of padding. I layered bedcovers as the weather went from 30 celsius to under 20 and rain. A small bottle of cider finished the night off.
I felt like I tossed and turned all night and my mattress had a micro leak which I still haven’t found! My hips didn’t like the harder-than-normal surface.
The following night I doubled the padding and although it was a better sleep it wasn’t what I normally get.

Minibreak number 3
Back home for 3 nights and then to the coast to visit my big son. No spare beds here so we went out with the camping gear, again. My fur baby borrowed a doggy bed and slept without a sound, I didn’t!
On the first night back home I anticipated my usual bedtime which is ideally 10 to half past but as a business owner, a glitch on my website meant seeking help from the support team which was in a different timezone. Bedtime was 12.30 am and combined with the two weeks in and out of sleep deprivation, and my regular wake-up time, I didn’t sleep in. I was up and outside for early morning light and spent the morning in the garden but my sleep pressure was high later in the afternoon. I fell asleep from 5 to 7 pm and so sleep was delayed which meant another late night for me with bedtime at 11.30 pm.

Here’s what I learned. It was good to feel sleep deprived as it reminds me of what my clients are going through and gives me greater empathy for their problems.
Here’s what I know. The odd bad night even in the perfect sleep environment is normal. None of the bad nights gave me sleep anxiety because what I teach is a tool kit of sleep options that work and can be used anytime sleep goes off the rails.

Today I have woken well rested and feeling great but tonight I will be back to my usual bedtime. Is your sleep back to normal?

Sweet Dreams
from
Deb