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08th Dec 2023

Expert explains how Christmas trees can improve your quality of sleep

HerFamily

Christmas

Should we move the Christmas tree into the bedroom…?

I’m sure that most us will remember the overwhelming excitement you felt as a kid on Christmas Eve as you eagerly waited for Santa to come and visit.

Although the prospect of Santa’s arrival becomes a little less exciting as we grow up, festive sleeplessness continues well into adulthood.

Often for adults, the struggle to sleep isn’t just in anticipation of Santa’s arrival but is a problem many people face throughout the month of December.

However, fear not, as it turns out there is a very festive solution.

The Bed Guru, Carl Walsh, has explained how your Christmas tree can actually improve your sleep.

According to Walsh the colour green helps us relax, reduce stress and ultimately sleep better. But how?

“The environment we sleep in plays a huge part in how well we sleep. Our brain collects information from our surroundings and translates them into chemical signals, releasing different hormones in response.

That’s why it’s important to consider what colours you’re using in the bedroom to ensure your brain is telling your body to release the right hormones to put your body
into a sleepy state.

In this instance we’re looking to promote the release of melatonin to help us fall asleep quicker as well as sleep better.

As green is a non-stimulating colour, soft shades of green are especially good for promoting the release of melatonin to encourage your body to relax
and promote good quality sleep.”

Walsh goes on to say that Christmas trees provide feelings of nostalgia, reminding us of being a child and helping us sleep like a baby.

“Decorating for Christmas helps to promote the release of happy hormones and reduce stress by acting as a reminder of being a child.

For most of us, all the Christmas festivities are a key memory from our childhood. We’re all just kids at heart so doing something like decorating a Christmas tree usually awakens the child within us; reminding us of the happiness, excitement and magic we felt as a child at Christmas.

So, although Christmas as an adult can be a pretty stressful time of year, taking part in Christmas festivities can also take us back to our childhood where we had no responsibilities.

In these festive moments we can forget about the other stresses as it gives us a reason to step away from our usual responsibilities and become a child again – focusing on relaxing and having fun!

Clearing our mind in this way will help you sleep like a baby … quite literally!”

It’s not just looking at the tree that helps, decorating a Christmas trees provide a sense of comfort, bringing calmness and happiness to encourage better quality sleep.

Christmas

“All aspects of Christmas bring us a sense of comfort, reminding us of some of the happiest moments from not only our childhood, but throughout our lives.

Decorating the tree is a pivotal moment in the festive season as it signals the start of the most joyful time of year. There is much debate over Christmas trees; artificial or real, sprinkled in snow or a natural green.

A person’s Christmas tree is very personal to them, it can tell you a lot about a person. Plain Christmas trees allow us to be creative, bring our own ideas of Christmas to life and have complete control over how the finished tree looks.

During the busiest time of year, having the simple pleasure of decorating our trees to our personal taste brings some festive joy, and calmness to our daily lives.”

Whether it’s your kids anticipation for Santa or you’re brain doing overtime that’s keeping you and your kids awake during the festive period, it seems that Christmas trees are the answer to a good night sleep!

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