Sleeping Pills and Holiday Habits: What You Need to Know

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.

Next: Sleeping in a different bed

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