The importance of sleep to maintain proper functioning during the holidays!

Why do we tend to sleep less during the holidays?

1. We tend to be more active and social; oftentimes might forget to maintain a normally scheduled nighttime routine and disrupt our sleep cycle. This disruption could pose serious negative effects. 
2. As the temperate fall weather begins to dissipate and the winter cold weather season begins, it is important to keep in mind to keep practicing proper hygiene and self-care. During this colder time period, though there isn’t a direct causal relationship, we can establish a relationship between the winter season and our increased susceptibility to common illnesses like the flu, respiratory illness, and other viral infections. As we interact with more people during the holidays, we see an increase in illness due to the increase in possible exposure to the affected people. Additionally, as shown in research, our “vasoconstrictor response”, the tightening of our blood vessels within our sympathetic nervous system (Iftikhar, 2018), plays a role in illness susceptibility, especially the colder weather conditions because it could hinder the proper immune response and result in a response or infection (Douglas et al., 1968; Dowling et al., 1958). Considering the aforementioned factors, though cold weather does not cause illness, it may play a small role in one’s susceptibility to illness through the decrease in immune response and subsequent infection.

References:

1. (PDF) Acute Cooling of the Body Surface and the Common Cold 
2. Influenza‐like illness‐related emergency department visits: Christmas and New Year holiday peaks and relationships with laboratory‐confirmed respiratory virus detections, Edmonton, Alberta, 2004–2014 
3. Sleep deprivation 
4. Vasoconstriction: Your Blood Vessels at Work

Edited by TLC Intern Maria Abreu