Sleeping Pills and Holiday Habits: What You Need to Know
You take sleeping pills—maybe all the time, maybe just occasionally—to get a good night’s rest, but you may be wondering how the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can affect your schedule and sleep habits. Here, eight factors that could play a role in your nighttime routine and how to adapt.
7 of 9
Staying up late or getting up early
Most prescription sleep medications take about eight hours to wear off. "If you're going to be up until 2 and you have to be to church at 8, you shouldn't wait until 2 to take a pill," Dr. Schulman says. Instead, he suggests taking your pill at your normal time and trying to stay awake—as long as you're not planning on driving or being in a situation that requires you to be fully alert. If the induced sleepiness is too much for your body to fight and you'd rather take a pill late at night—say, after you're done wrapping all your presents—ask your doctor about switching to a pill that has a shorter half-life.
Health's Top Stories
Get a weekly look at the most popular stories on Health.com.
Related Features
Hot Topics on Health.com
11 Foods for Healthy Bones
Maintaining great bone-health is essential to your mobility and quality of life. A diet high in calcium and vitamin D will help ward off thinning causes by Osteoporosis, and these foods are loaded with them! Read MoreMore Popular Stories on Health.com
- Quiz: Do You Know How to Beat Heartburn?
- 8 Classic Snacks Under 80 Calories
- Foods That Fight GERD
- 10 Ways to Have Great Posture as You Age
- How Friends Make You Healthier
- 7 Heart-Healthy Foods
- 13 Conditions That Mimic Fibromyalgia
- Body and Soul: Bone-Building Action
- 23 Easy, Low-Fat Dinners
- Get a Beautiful Butt in 4 Weeks
