Can you feel that lovely sun? The holiday season is upon us – it’s time to unwind, explore new places, and spend quality time with family and friends.
While your days may be fun-filled, the nights can be a different story with the heat causing you to toss, turn, and struggle to get enough rest.
So, whether you’re jetting off to a new time zone or simply staying home on a staycation, the disruption to your usual routine can take a real toll on your sleep. So here are our top tips on how you can enjoy your summer holiday while managing sleep effectively. We always love to hear your top tips and what works for you.
Jet Lag
Jet lag occurs when your internal body clock is out of sync with the local time at your destination. Crossing time zones – especially eastward – can cause fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, and difficulty falling asleep at night.
Tips to Beat Jet Lag:
Gradually shift your schedule: A few days before your trip, begin adjusting your sleep and wake times to match your destination’s time zone.
Stay hydrated: Dehydration can worsen jet lag symptoms. Avoid excessive caffeine and alcohol, especially on long flights.
Get natural light exposure: Once you arrive, spend time outdoors during daylight hours to help your body clock reset.
Use sleep strategically: A short nap (20–30 minutes) can be refreshing, but avoid long daytime naps that may delay nighttime sleep.
Staycations
Staycations are increasingly popular and we know that there’s many beautiful places in the UK to visit. And you would think that not drastically changing your environment or time-zone wouldn’t really affect your sleep. However, often without the structure of daily responsibilities, your sleep routine can go out the window. Sleeping in, staying up late, and binge-watching TV can all disrupt your circadian rhythm.
How to Keep Your Staycation Sleep-Friendly:
Stick to a regular sleep schedule: Aim to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day, even on ‘lazy’ days.
Create a restful environment: Use blackout curtains, keep your bedroom cool, and minimise noise for better sleep quality.
Limit screen time: Avoid screens at least an hour before bed to reduce blue light exposure, which can delay melatonin release.
Balance rest and activity: While rest is important, getting some light physical activity or fresh air each day can help regulate sleep.
Holiday Habits and Broken Routines
Holidays are for relaxing and letting your hair down. And that often comes with late nights, social gatherings, indulgent meals, and disrupted routines. All these can throw off your sleep rhythm – leading to sluggish mornings and an overall feeling of fatigue. While it’s fine to fully indulge in the holiday vibes, here are some simple ways to keep sleep disruption to a minimum.
Ways to Stay on Track:
Watch what (and when) you eat: Heavy or late-night meals can interfere with sleep. Aim to finish eating at least 2–3 hours before bedtime.
Mind the alcohol: While a nightcap may make you feel sleepy, alcohol disrupts your sleep and sleep quality.
Prioritise wind-down time: Even on busy days, give yourself 30–60 minutes to relax before bed with a book, bath, or meditation.
Don’t stress about ‘perfect’ sleep: One or two nights of poor sleep won’t derail your health. Be kind to yourself and refocus on healthy habits when the opportunity arises.
Sleep Is Part of the Holiday Experience
Sleep is just as important to your holiday as sightseeing, family time, or relaxation. Managing jet lag, maintaining routines on a staycation, or navigating holiday disruptions doesn’t mean giving up fun – it means making space for rest so you can fully enjoy it and return feeling refreshed!