4 Things to Watch Out for to Sleep Well on Thanksgiving

4 Things to Watch Out for to Sleep Well on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving parties are often followed by cozy nights sleeping like a baby or just passing out two hours before bedtime from a turkey-fueled food coma. Some of this has to do with the relatively high tryptophan content in Thanksgiving foods, such as turkey and milk. There are other factors, such as overeating, alcohol, and the wear and tear of socializing with relatives you haven’t seen in a while also make an impact on our Thanksgiving sleep. Not all of us will be peacefully drifting away to sleep on time, fueled by the relaxation of a day off, a harmonious family, and grandma’s delectable, one-of-a-kind cooking. For some of us, Thanksgiving can bring in opportunities for certain sleep-depleting activities. Here’s a list of some common ones we’ve rounded up and now you can fight back to enjoy a well-rested Black Friday right after.
1. Watch your alcohol consumption.
It can be fun to knock back several drinks with your fun, single aunt while she regales you with her latest adventures in faraway destinations. But too much alcohol can impede the quality of your sleep, leading to waking up after just a few hours unable to go back. Alcohol can also shorten how much of your sleep is precious rejuvenating, deep, REM sleep. So keep the champagne on the moderate end -- drink just enough to celebrate and loosen up, but put the glass down once the drowsiness sets in or the room start spinning.
2. Pack on a little extra turkey and milk if you need help sleeping.
Did you wake up unusually late on Thanksgiving day? Have you been having trouble sleeping lately? As we’ve said, turkey and milk are high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid your body needs to properly produce serotonin and melatonin. Fortunately, most Thanksgiving meals will have plenty of both, so see if you can take a little extra to help ease your sleep woes.
3. Watch out for contentious guests.
For many of us, Thanksgiving means seeing some family members with personalities we’re not too fond of, which can spark some conflict. This can lead us to ruminate and stress out, later on, making our brains too ramped up to sleep. If possible, try not to invite them. If there’s no way around seeing them, keep the interaction as casual and mundane as possible, steering the conversation away from any serious and controversial topics.
4. Consider the next day’s shopping plans.
What are you doing on Black Friday? Are you going to wake up at the crack of dawn to line up outside your favorite store or hover on its website? If so, you need to sleep accordingly so you can grab those deals as soon as possible. Black Friday can be exciting, but stress-inducing when people start fighting each other for the same steeply discounted products. Fortunately, many of this year’s deals are easily accessible online, such as Lull’s mattresses. So if you’re looking to finish off fall with the best sleep possible, check out our Black Friday deals and save some $$ on our premium memory foam mattresses!
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