by Shauna Zamarripa

Created on: November 10, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

It was the night before Christmas and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, except for you. Between running around from store to store, to preparing for holiday company to simply trying to keep up with everyday life and the added stress this season can bring there are a lot of reasons for you to toss and turn at night. If lack of sleep plagues you during the holidays you might find that makings some simple adjustments to your lifestyle will have you counting sheep in no time, without having to reach for dangerous and addictive prescriptions.

1. Exercise

Believe it or not, regular exercise will help keep your body regulated. Not only that, but a daily dose of athletic endorphins helps you to think more clearly and reduce stress. The health benefits not withstanding, a trip or two to the gym will have you seeing visions of sugarplums dance in your head.

2. Mental focus

Activities such as Yoga or Tai Chi, that promote well being and have natural stress reducing benefits can help you implement these relaxation techniques around bed time to help calm your mind and your spirit, allowing you to get some much needed shut eye. It's important that you begin learning these techniques long before the holidays arrive so that you will have mastered them well in advance of the added stress of the season.

3. Music

Not only does music soothe the savage beast but music has also been shown to alter moods. By drowning out your "to-do" lists with calming lyrical selections you will find that it will be difficult to dwell on your holiday woes. Since stress is one of the main reasons most people say is why they can't sleep, some soothing music can be just the trick.

4. Soothing sounds

Envriascape offers a great line of soothing sound machines. You can select calming sounds from gentle rolling ocean waves, to calming rainforest noises or rain gently caressing the ground outside. These soothing sounds work very much like music in drowning out the cares of the day, and putting you in a rested state ready for sleep.

5. Reading

Reading a book or magazine prior to bedtime will help take your mind off of the holidays. Choose material that is a far cry away from holiday inspired themes and spend about a half hour reading before you get ready for bed. You will find that your mind will do a holiday "memory dump" and be clear and ready for sleep by the time you're finished.

These simple and easy techniques don't take much to implement into your day-to-day life, but they can make a big difference in your ability to get restful sleep during the high stress holidays. Remember, holiday sleep deprivation is centered around stress, the more techniques you employ to reduce that stress the easier it will be to get some much needed sleep this season.

Learn more about this author, Shauna Zamarripa.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.