How to Sleep Well on Christmas Eve

Wake up early on Christmas Eve. Doing this will make you feel more tired when it’s time to go to bed.

• The night before Christmas Eve, stay up as late as possible and set your alarm to wake up early, perhaps around 6 AM. When you wake up, you’ll likely feel extremely tired and want to sleep again, but force yourself to get up. This will make it easier to fall asleep that night due to the exhaustion.
• If there’s a calendar in your room, try flipping it to a past month and pretend you’re living in one of those evenings. You can play a playlist of songs you usually listen to in that month to make it feel more authentic.

Exercise regularly throughout the day. You could try jumping exercises, take a walk, or ride a bicycle. If it's too cold to exercise outdoors, consider playing active games like Wii Fit.

Compose and memorize the lyrics of a long song. This will tire your brain out and leave you feeling exhausted.

Help family, friends, and neighbors prepare for Christmas. Staying busy while assisting others will keep you from getting overly excited, allowing you to enjoy the Christmas spirit without feeling too restless.

Track Santa Claus. Following Santa’s journey around the world is a fun activity for Christmas or Christmas Eve! You can use free websites like NORAD Tracks Santa or Google Santa Tracker to keep tabs on him.

Consider it a normal night. Tell yourself that tonight is just like any other night, not Christmas Eve. Go through your usual bedtime routine: brush your teeth, read a book, chat with friends, etc.

• Ask yourself, "What will I do tomorrow?" -- and answer as if it’s just an ordinary day: "Oh, I can hang out with my friends, ______".

Play a game with someone. It may sound strange, but opt for quiet games that you can play alone (or with a friend or sibling who's equally excited and full of energy) in bed, like charades. This will help burn off some energy and make you fall asleep faster. Santa will be arriving sooner than you think!

Exercise. It may seem odd, but exercising can actually help calm you down. A couple of hours before bedtime, see how many push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks you can do in your room. However, limit your exercise to around 30 minutes to avoid staying up too late. Exercise is a great way to tire your body and make you feel sleepy. Plus, while you’re at it, you can temporarily forget about the upcoming Christmas festivities.

Take a warm bath. A warm bath will relax your muscles and help you sleep better. You can play with water toys, spraying water at a target, immersing yourself in bubbles, and loosening up your muscles. Use scented soap for extra relaxation benefits.

Don’t keep an eye on the Christmas tree. If you do, you’ll only get more excited, stay wide awake, and spoil the surprise! Remember, Santa knows whether you’re asleep or awake. If you stay vigilant, he won’t come.

Drink warm milk. In addition to providing your body with essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and L-tryptophan (an amino acid), warm milk has a soothing effect and can help you fall asleep. You can also have a cup of hot herbal tea, which is known for its calming and sedative properties. Just make sure to choose a caffeine-free variety.

• Consider having warm milk while preparing snacks to welcome Santa Claus.
• Or, enjoy hot chocolate after changing into your pajamas to help you relax and stay warm! Avoid coffee, as its caffeine content will make it harder for you to sleep.

Relax. If you’re feeling overly energetic and hyperactive, it’s time to calm down, or you might get too excited to sleep. Read a book, listen to music, or do anything that can help you unwind and relax.

• Read a book. You can opt for a Christmas-themed story, or dive into the dullest textbook from your least favorite subject. A boring book will help make you sleepy, while an interesting one will distract you from your excitement about Christmas. In addition to Christmas books, you might enjoy long novels like: Harry Potter, Twilight, Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh, or Đất rừng phương nam. These are all lengthy books that will keep you occupied.
• Light a scented candle in a safe spot in your room. The fragrance of the candle will help you relax, especially if you choose calming scents like lavender or jasmine. Don’t forget to blow out the candle before going to sleep!

Remind yourself that the more relaxed and sleepy you feel, the sooner Christmas will come!

Lie comfortably in bed. Try doing a deep abdominal contraction—hold it for 30 seconds, then relax and lie still. You can do this every time you want to drift off to sleep, and remember to close your eyes and relax.

• Check out some related articles suggested on Mytour for more tips on falling asleep, or explore the Sleep and Dreaming section.
• Use a soft, fluffy pillow. A soft pillow will help you lie comfortably and sleep better.

Sleep with your pet. If you have a small, cute pet that fits comfortably on your bed (or wherever you sleep), you can let it sleep with you. Having another presence in the room will help you drift off faster, but if your pet is a hamster or something as small as a hamster, be careful not to squish it.

Make sure you're the right temperature based on your environment. If it's cold, turn on the heater, wear warm, comfortable clothes, or add another blanket. However, don't get too hot, as overheating can make it just as difficult to sleep as being too cold. If it's too warm, turn on the air conditioner or open a window, and just use a light blanket.

Count sheep or reindeer. These sequential, focused, and quiet activities can help shift your mind from excitement to calm, making it easier to fall asleep. Try to concentrate on each sheep jumping over a fence (or any high object). What do the sheep look like? What does the fence look like? How high do they jump? Focusing on these details will help clear your mind from Christmas distractions and allow you to sleep more easily.

Lie on your bed and mentally repeat: "Relax your toes" (move your toes for a moment); "Relax the soles of your feet, relax your ankles (flex your ankles)." This might sound silly, but it’s surprisingly effective thanks to the power of suggestion. Continue this all the way up to your head. The effort to focus on this will likely distract you from the excitement of the holiday, and you might even fall asleep before you get to your head!

Listen to slow Christmas music and think about the true meaning of Christmas.

• Create a "sleepy" playlist on your iPod. Soft, gentle tunes will help you forget about Santa and fall into a peaceful sleep.

Avoid using desktop computers, laptops, or iPads late into the night when you're unable to sleep, as they will only keep you awake. The light from screens tricks your body into thinking it's not time to sleep yet.

• If you watch TV before bed, turn off or dim all other light sources to make the room darker. This will help signal your body that it's time to wind down and sleep.

Watch a movie. If sleep still eludes you, consider watching a film. Some beloved Christmas classics include: A Christmas Story, The Polar Express, The Santa Clause, Home Alone 1, 2, 3, and 4, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause 1, 2, and 3, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Set an alarm clock. Set the alarm at a time that works for the whole family. This way, when it rings (say, at 7:00), everyone will be ready to wake up. If you wake up earlier, enjoy breakfast and get ready to look sharp for the video.

• If you know you'll be filmed that morning, wear your nicest pajamas. After all, you wouldn't want people to remember you in wrinkled pajamas and a crumpled T-shirt on Christmas morning, would you? Don't forget to fix your hair before heading downstairs!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

• Don't think about Santa Claus, or you'll become overly excited, making it even harder to fall asleep.
• Slowly change your bed sheets and put on your pajamas after taking a warm bath. This routine will help you feel calm, relaxed, and ready to sleep.
• Stop exercising about two hours before going to bed.
• If you want to keep a light on in the room while sleeping, dim it to help you sleep better.
• Turning off all light sources in the room will aid in making sleep easier.
• Leave the stockings downstairs and lock the door to avoid the temptation of peeking at them.
• Remember to lock the bedroom door. This will help you relax, sleep better, and prevent light from entering the room.
• The earlier you go to sleep, the sooner Christmas will arrive. So try to sleep, or it will feel like waiting for a million years until Christmas!
• If you're worried about not being able to sleep, don't look at the clock. Breathe deeply and remind yourself that it's almost impossible for the human body to stay awake longer than 18 hours, so eventually, you'll fall asleep no matter what. Of course, on Christmas Day, once the excitement is over, you can catch up on sleep by going to bed earlier for a few nights after.
• Go to bed later on Christmas Eve. If you don't sleep all day, you'll be exhausted and ready to sleep by Christmas Eve night.
• Think about the wonderful day ahead and drift off into sweet dreams.
• Cleaning your room before bed will help you sleep better, as you won't have to worry about the mess.

• Stick to a consistent bedtime like any other night. If you usually go to bed at 10 PM but on Christmas Eve, you go to bed at 11 PM, it won't feel like a typical night at all.
• Remember to use the bathroom before going to bed. It's hard to sleep when you need to pee, and you certainly don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to go.
• When reading, pay attention to the time. If you want to fall asleep deeply at midnight, make sure to put the book away and go to bed at 10 or 11 PM.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks at least 6 hours before bedtime. If you're going to sleep at 10 PM, make sure you don't consume these drinks after 4 PM.
• Once you're in bed, only get up if you need to use the bathroom. If so, try to return to bed and lie in the same comfortable position as before.
• Don't constantly check the clock, or Christmas Eve will feel even longer.
• Don't open presents early. Try to hold off and share your excitement with others instead.
• Don't leave the room, as you'll only become more curious about what's going on outside.
• If you decide to exercise, don't do more than 30 minutes, and make sure you exercise at least 1 hour before bed. The endorphins produced during exercise will make you feel energized and alert, so don't forget to allow time to relax. Stopping exercise well before bedtime will give you a chance to unwind and apply other methods for better sleep!