How to Get to Sleep on Christmas Eve

Go screen-free on Christmas Eve: Avoiding the stimulation of TV, computers and phones will help you get to sleep easier.

How to Get to Sleep on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve may be the worst night of the year to try to get sleep. The stress and the excitement of the holidays often have both adults and children wired. While you may need to accept that you'll get less sleep than normal, you can often still get a few hours of quality shut-eye.

Instructions

1. Get the last minute preparations done early. You'll sleep better if you're not worried whether you put the toy together right or are rushed to get everything done. Have everything organized so it will be easy to put out gifts and stockings.

2. Keep your regular bedtime habits. Try to get everyone to bed at the normal time. If you do have parties or midnight Mass to attend, try to keep the routine the same once you do get home to help settle everyone down.

3. Get up early on Christmas Eve day so that you are more tired that night. If you can, exercise early in the day and have the kids run around a bit to wear them out. For younger children, you can make nap time a little shorter that day to help them sleep more that night.

4. Take a warm bath or shower before bed. This can help adjust your body temperature to make you sleepy. Drinking a little warm milk during your bath can also help.

5. Stay away from the television and computer for the night. Both of these electronics can disrupt sleep. Opt for reading with a single light if you need to wind down before going to sleep.

6. Use calming aromatherapy scents to help calm everyone down. Diluted lavender oil can be used to gently scent pillows and bedding or put a few drops of calming scents in the bath or behind your children's ears.