Most of us enter the New Year's holidays dreaming of sleep, and leave feeling broken.
The paradox is that a chaotic vacation is more tiring than a work schedule. But it is possible to maintain energy and routine if you change tactics.
Daily rituals
Instead of trying to go to bed and wake up at the same time, create one consistent routine.
- Every day, no matter what time you go to bed, get up and drink a large glass of warm water with a slice of lemon by the window. 5 minutes of natural light will reset your internal clock.
- 90 minutes before bedtime (even if it is 2 a.m.), take a warm shower. Falling water pressure and rhythmic movements will become a signal to the brain: rest is coming.
Lifehacks for extreme conditions
The noise of the city, the light of streetlights: use earplugs and a sleep mask as a technological gadget for survival.
If you're the host and can't leave, take 20 minutes to retreat to a room with dim lights. Close your eyes, breathe deeply. This is not a dream, but a powerful reboot for the nervous system.
Agree with your guests on a “quiet hour” from 15:00 to 17:00. At this time, let everyone do what he needs: one sleeps, another walks, the third reads. Collective rest from each other is the best prevention of conflicts.
Biochemical control
- 2-3 hours before bed, eat a product with tryptophan, a precursor of melatonin. This is a handful of pumpkin seeds, a banana or a piece of cheese.
- Switch off strong emotions, arguments and active games 1.5 hours before your planned rest. Engage in monotonous activities: put together a puzzle, play solitaire, wash the dishes.
- Exit from vacation: reboot in 36 hours. Don't try to go to bed at 10 pm after two weeks of freedom. 36 hours before work, wake up 2 hours earlier than your vacation norm. In the evening you will easily fall asleep earlier.
- On the day you return to work, turn on all your alarms. Immediately after getting up, do a short but intense exercise. This is “shock therapy” for the body, which will clearly indicate that normal life is returning.
- The night before work, take a magnesium bath or drink a magnesium drink. The mineral will relieve muscle tension and anxiety.
Listen to yourself. Ideal rest does not depend on the number of hours spent in bed.
And these simple tips will help you return to work without a heaviness in your heart and noise in your head.
