12/22/2025
Late nights don’t stay in just one night 😴
During the holidays, small shifts - staying up later, sleeping in, brighter evenings, a few drinks - can quietly reset your internal clock. Research shows that even modest delays in sleep timing can disrupt circadian rhythms, fragment sleep, and make falling asleep harder the next night.
🍷 Alcohol may help you feel sleepy, but it reduces REM sleep and increases overnight awakenings.
💡 Bright evening light - especially blue-enriched light - suppresses melatonin and delays sleep onset.
🧠 Short or disrupted sleep is linked with increased irritability, stress, and harder emotional regulation.
The good news? You don’t need “perfect” sleep to protect your mood.
✨ Evidence supports:
• keeping bed and wake times mostly consistent
• limiting screens and bright light 2–3 hours before bed
• balancing late nights with early daylight exposure
Small routines can go a long way; even during busy seasons.🎄
Looking to book a counselling session? Fill-out an appointment request form on our site here: https://www.forgingforward.ca/appointments
📧Email: appointments@forgingforward.ca
📲Call: 902-919-1474
***Educational content only. Not a substitute for professional mental health care.
Zee, P. C., Goldstein, C. A., & Mills, J. R. (2021). Irregular sleep–wake rhythm disorder and circadian misalignment. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17(8), 1705–1714.
https://jcsm.aasm.org
Thakkar, M. M., Sharma, R., & Sahota, P. (2015). Alcohol disrupts sleep homeostasis. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 37(1), 121–129.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338362
Cho, J. R., Joo, E. Y., Koo, D. L., & Hong, S. B. (2023). Effects of evening light exposure on circadian rhythm and sleep. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 66, 101713.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101713
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2024). Healthy sleep habits: Holiday edition.
https://sleepeducation.org
Palmer, C. A., & Alfano, C. A. (2017). Sleep and emotion regulation. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 26(3), 481–500.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2017.02.002
