In a new poll of 2,000 American adults, 66% said that their Christmas wish list included anything that would give them a decent night’s sleep. A full 62% reported that the winter holiday season is their busiest time of the year and seven in 10 said they forced themselves to stay up later in the evening to tackle tasks not completed during the day. Over half of respondents said they woke up earlier for the same reason.

According to Study Finds, the most frequent causes of sleeplessness were cooking and preparing holiday meals (36%), shopping stress (34%), financial stress (34%), and having family over (30%). The study was commissioned by Mattress Firm and conducted by OnePoll. The results showed that the most sleepless nights of the holiday season are Christmas Eve (43%), New Year’s Eve (38%), Thanksgiving Day (26%), and Black Friday (17%).

A full 64% said they are likely to gather with relatives over the holiday, and 55% of those who are traveling say they lose quality sleep if they aren’t in their own beds.

“There’s something about the holiday season that, while exciting and usually a time to enjoy family, is absolutely exhausting,” says Dr. Chris Winter, a neurologist and renowned sleep expert. “Having family over, shopping, budgeting — it can all stack up and make getting a sound night of sleep like a distant, nearly-impossible-to-reach fantasy.”

The survey found that the best nights for sleep were the nights following Thanksgiving Day (27%), Christmas Day (26%), and New Year’s Day (18%). A little over one-third of the respondents found it easier to sleep the night after a major holiday, but 20% said it’s still challenging. And the average adult said he or she needs at least three days after a major holiday to resume sound sleep habits.

“Sleeping fewer than six hours on a regular basis is a health concern,” warns neurologist and sleep expert Dr. Dan Cohen, who adds that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

Cohen tells Newsmax that there is a new technology called Soltec SES, that he helped to develop along with a team of engineers and sleep experts, that helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep. Available from Soltec Health, the device enhances health-restoring delta waves, brain waves associated with deep sleep. This is one item you may want to put on your holiday gift list if sleep is elusive.

The OnePoll survey that was conducted between October 12 and October 17, 2022, found that Americans who celebrate Christmas tend to burn the midnight oil. A full 67% stay up late on Christmas Eve with their family and three in four say they are the last ones to go to bed that night.

Interestingly, over half of the parents who observe Christmas say their children still believe in Santa and 62% of those kids insist on staying up late on Christmas Eve to catch a glimpse of St. Nick. New Year’s Eve is another sleep disruptor with 78% of those who participate admitting they stay up late, but 32% get so tired they never make it to midnight.

While the stress and strain of planning for the holidays is exhausting, Study Finds says that the poll observed that post-holiday recovery sleep can also be difficult. Some causal factors include families overstaying their welcome (45%), cleaning up after guests (45%) and financial worries (33%).

“Getting decent rest during the busy holiday season begins by first committing to a sleep routine so that no matter where you are, the ritual will help you relax and prepare for bed,” says Winter. “Instead of taking on one task after another, you can give yourself time to relax and get better quality sleep by dividing your to-do list throughout the day.”

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