Foods to combat holiday stress

From travel plans to last-minute shopping, the end of year brings a busy calendar that can lead to stress in the kitchen and beyond. If you’re trying to eat a balanced diet, extra activities coupled with an abundance of holiday sweets can make it seem impossible to keep up with your healthful habits. While there is definitely room to enjoy your holiday favorites in moderation, be sure to stock your kitchen with these time-saving foods for some seasonal stress relief.

Citrus Fruits: It might seem like the only trees of the season are covered in ornaments, but citrus fruits have their best showing in the winter months. Packed with vitamin C, everything from grapefruits to clementines are delicious and affordable this time of year. A powerful antioxidant, studies show that vitamin C can help reduce stress levels and offer immune-boosting qualities. Citrus fruits make quick fiber-filled snacks, as well as tasty additions to salads to add bright colors and a kick of sweetness without a lot of calories.

Sweet Potatoes: Not just a Thanksgiving staple, this root vegetable is a smart thing to keep on hand throughout the holiday season. Packed with beta-carotene, vitamin B-6, potassium, and fiber, these root vegetables will satisfy an urge for a carb craving in a nutritious way. For a quick meal, give a sweet potato a good scrub, poke with a fork, and microwave until cooked through. Top with some salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt for a low-stress dinner with plenty of fiber and protein. If you want to include in your big holiday meal, prep and cook your sweet potatoes a day ahead to save yourself some stress—and time—when you’re busy with the main feast. 

Canned Fish: Canned tuna, salmon and sardines offer a no-cook protein option for a nutritious meal when you’re pressed for time. In addition to protein, fish contains B vitamins and iron, and is one of the only natural sources of omega-3s fatty acids, which appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to help with blood flow and reduce inflammation, both of which are compromised during times of heightened stress. Just one serving of Bumble Bee Omega-3 albacore tuna contains 500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. To help reach the recommended 2 to 3 servings of fish a week, make a kid-friendly tuna sandwich with diced red and green apples for some holiday flair, or go for a hearty tuna nicoise salad that’s refined enough to serve holiday guests.

Pistachios: For a more mindful snack option this holiday season, keep pistachios on hand. A Pennsylvania State University study showed that during times of stress, pistachios helped lower blood pressure and heart rate in a sample of adults with elevated cholesterol. In addition, in-shell pistachios take longer to eat, and may encourage snackers to slow down and be more conscious of what they’ve eaten. A preliminary behavioral eating study found that in-shell snackers ate 41 percent fewer calories than those who snacked on shelled nuts. A good source of protein and fiber, pistachios can help stabilize blood sugar levels for sustained energy, as well as offer a festive green color that’s perfect for the season.

Oatmeal: A popular comfort food, oatmeal provides complex carbohydrates, which produce the feel-good chemical serotonin in the brain, shown to help calm the signs of stress. Plus, it’s a “sticks to your ribs” kind of grain. Beta-glucan, the type of soluble fiber found in oatmeal, has been shown to promote a feeling of fullness more so than other whole grains. In addition to holding off hunger longer, studies have shown that kids who eat oatmeal for breakfast stay sharper throughout the morning. Make a batch of the steel-cut variety on the weekend, store it in the fridge, and heat it up on busy mornings.

Meal Delivery: For a truly stress-free option, have healthy foods delivered to your doorstep. From pre-packed meals delivered upon request, to full meal plans for the entire week, meal delivery services are becoming more and more popular. Making healthy cooking easier for everyone, companies like HelloFresh provide seasonal farm fresh ingredients with recipe cards that are simple, easy-to-follow, and take no more than 30 minutes to make. Plus they have a full-time registered dietitian on staff to make sure your meals are nutritionally balanced. At about $10 per person per meal, you can choose from weekly menus and most importantly – take the stress out of: “What’s for dinner?”

The TRUTH about yo-yo diets: Losing and regaining weight rapidly can make your hair fall out, and harms the heart more than obesity

Losing weight rapidly, only to pile it all back on again — yo-yo dieting — is a trap many fall into; a survey in 2014 found 60 per cent of yo-yo dieters will try up to 20 diets in their lifetime. And you don't have to be losing and gaining huge amounts of weight to be a yo-yo dieter (it can be as little as between 7lb and 1st), but the weight gain and loss occurs over weeks and months, rather than years. This way of dieting has been blamed for a range of health issues including hormone imbalances and osteoporosis.

A study presented last week at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions found it could also harm the heart — and the risk increases the more often you try and fail to keep weight off. 'This is particularly worrying since we know many yo-yo dieters have been on multiple failed diets, each time regaining more weight than they lose,' says Rebecca McManamon, of the British Dietetic Association. Studies show the body strives to maintain its weight at a 'set point'. 'The body will protect itself against weight loss during a period of calorie restriction, which is probably an evolved protection mechanism, says Rebecca McManamon.

It also means people don't suddenly gain weight if they overeat for short periods. 'However, in protracted periods of starvation, weight loss does occur and your body gets used to functioning at a lower energy level,' she explains. 'Unfortunately, this resets the metabolism so when you start eating normally again, you will put on weight more quickly.' (Intermittent fasting, as in the popular 5:2 diet, when people fast for two days and eat normally for five, is thought to be too short a period to kick start 'starvation mode'.) Muscle loss is another problem.

We need muscle to burn calories. 'When the intake of calories drops below a certain level, the body will start to digest your muscle cells as well as remaining body fat to make energy,' says Kathryn Freeland, a personal trainer who runs Absolute Fitness in London. 'Less muscle mass can slow down metabolism even further, compounding the problem of rapid fat gain when you start to eat normally again.' In the latest study, presented last week, researchers from the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island analyzed data from 158,000 women over 50. Over 11 years, the women of normal weight who admitted to yo-yo dieting more than four times, were three-and-a-half times as likely to die from a heart attack than women whose weight stayed stable, even if they were obese.

Dr Somail Rasla, lead author of the study, says gaining weight as part of yo-yo dieting increases heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, which do not fall back to normal when weight is lost again. If these cycles keep repeating, these health problems worsen over time, putting strain on the heart. Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, says the findings seem to back up previous studies linking yo-yo dieting to cardiovascular disease. Yo-yo dieting increases inflammatory markers in the blood which are associated with lots of diseases, including arthritis. Yo-yo dieting has one obvious effect — constantly losing and regaining weight can leave permanent stretch marks and sagging and drooping skin. 'This depends on how much weight you gain and lose, how often and also your age and the elasticity of the skin, but it is a common issue,' says Dr Nick Lowe, a consultant dermatologist in Harley Street, London. Older women with less elastic skin will be more prone to sagging.

Quick weight gain followed by rapid weight loss puts more strain on skin than gradual weight change. Restrictive diets can also affect the plumpness of the skin, as a lack of protein in the diet can affect the production of collagen, which gives skin its firmness. Famine followed by feast can disrupt the release of hormones from the pituitary gland which drives the menstrual cycle, stimulating the ovaries to produce eggs. If a woman rapidly loses weight this process shuts down because the body goes into starvation mode and concentrates its resources on vital functions, which don't include reproduction, says Gillian Lockwood, a consultant obstetrician, gynecologist and fertility expert based in the Midlands. Unfortunately, according to Dr Lockwood, many overweight women who want IVF on the NHS are told that they have to lose weight in order to qualify for the free treatment, and this can encourage crash dieting. 'If a woman is 6lb overweight, it will take her a year or more to lose that safely, but many women and their partners feel a sense of urgency. 'Not surprisingly, they may dramatically cut their calorie intake, sometimes down to 400 calories a day.'

And women who rapidly lose weight to reach the necessary BMI have very poor outcomes when it comes to getting pregnant, as the IVF is unlikely to work. This applies only to crash dieters. Yo-yo dieting does seem to affect bone density, although the jury is still out as to whether yo-yo dieting or periods of restrictive dieting is the problem. Our bone is constantly being broken down, absorbed into the body and replaced. A recent U.S. study found that women whose weight fluctuated had increased bone resorption when their weight fell, which was not replaced when they regained the pounds. Feasting periods do not make up for bone loss in the fasting times. Trichologist Anabel Kingsley says yo-yo dieting is a common cause of poor hair conditions and hair loss: 'One of the first things we always ask is about people's diet, which is fundamental to healthy hair. 'Yo-yo dieters are stressing their hair.' She says that, at any one time, 90 per cent of head hair is in a growth phase and just 10 per cent is in the resting phase, when it sheds. 'Restricted calorie intake pushes more hairs into the shedding phase because the hair follicles have fewer nutrients to sustain them.' Rapid weight gain also disrupts normal hormone levels and stresses the hair follicles.

'People on restrictive diets are not getting enough key minerals and vitamins such as calcium to keep their teeth and gums healthy,' says Mervyn Druian, of London Cosmetic Dentistry. 'Yo-yo dieters are more prone to gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.' Those who have dramatically cut back on eating also produce less saliva, which is triggered by the chewing action, which helps protect the teeth from acid attack. On the weight gain cycle, people who eat a high carbohydrate diet are at risk from tooth decay. 'Bacteria in the mouth thrive in these conditions and release acid in larger quantities,' adds Dr Druian. Studies have suggested there may be a correlation between yo-yo dieting and some cancers.

One theory is that it may lead to a reduction in the number and effectiveness of immune cells, which are the body's initial line of defence against tumour cells. A 2004 study showed a reduction in these cells the more times post-menopausal women lost weight.

Loneliness may sabotage breast cancer survival, study finds

Loneliness may impede long-term breast cancer survival, a new study suggests. In the years after treatment, women who don’t have strong social ties are more likely to have their cancer return or die from it than women with friends and a support network, the researchers found. Reviewing data on nearly 10,000 breast cancer patients, the researchers linked isolation with a 40 percent higher risk of cancer recurrence compared to socially connected women.

These solitary women also had a 60 percent increased risk of dying from breast cancer and a 70 percent increased risk of dying from any cause, the study found. The results weren’t unexpected, the researchers said. “It is well established that women generally and those with breast cancer with greater social ties have a lower risk of death overall,” said lead researcher Candyce Kroenke. She’s with Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

People are social animals, said Kassandra Alcaraz, strategic director for health equity research at the American Cancer Society. “We were not meant to be isolated, so the benefits we get from relationships with others and being part of a community are not surprising,” she said. “We know that social relationships are important to general health and well-being.” Exactly why this is so isn’t entirely clear, Alcaraz said. “Having social ties may provide access to real assistance, like having someone to take you to the doctor or having someone to talk to about your concerns or connecting you with resources that can help you cope with the cancer,” she said. Also, social well-being is correlated with physical well-being, Alcaraz added.

Having connections to others helps reduce stress and depression and thus leads to better health outcomes, she said. “We need to think of health in a more expansive way. Social influences can be just as important as other risk factors, such as obesity and smoking,” Alcaraz said. Kroencke and her colleagues agreed, saying doctors should consider a woman’s social supports when making predictions for her recovery. For this study, the researchers looked at a woman’s social connections in the two years after her breast cancer diagnosis to see how having friends, a spouse, relatives or community ties might affect her survival.

The report was published online Dec. 12 in the journal Cancer. Data was collected on just over 9,000 women. Over an average follow-up of 11 years, more than 1,400 cancers returned. Also, more than 1,500 women died, nearly 1,000 from breast cancer, the researchers found. The links between social connections and prognosis were strongest among women with earlier stage cancer, the researchers said. Also, specific associations differed by age, race, ethnicity and country, Kroenke said. For example, ties to relatives and friends predicted lower breast cancer deaths for nonwhite women. And marriage predicted lower breast cancer deaths only among older white women.

In addition, community ties predicted better outcomes in older white and Asian women. “Our findings demonstrate the generally beneficial influence of women’s social ties on breast cancer outcomes, including recurrence and breast cancer death,” Kroenke said. The results don’t mean that loners are doomed to an early death, nor do they show a direct cause-and-effect relationship between isolation and worse survival. Still, it’s important for doctors and other health care workers to help patients connect with support groups and other programs so they won’t remain socially isolated, Alcaraz said. “Social ties have positive health benefits, and social isolation is detrimental to health,” she said. “And it is not unique to breast cancer or to cancer for that matter.”

Six main causes of female hair loss and how to treat them

Although it is far more common for men to lose their hair, women can also begin to lose their own crowning glories. After giving birth, reaching menopause years or experiencing other hormonal imbalances, it’s not uncommon for women to start losing their hair. One of the most common causes of hair loss in women is a change in hormone levels. Fortunately, hair loss in women is usually a temporary state of affairs which can be relatively easy to diagnose and treat.

1. Overactive Thyroid An over active thyroid can trigger a condition called Telogen Effluvium, which changes the hair growth cycle and can result in the thinning of the hair. Treatment Options: There are several treatment options available for this condition, including an antithyroid medication treatment, surgery or radioactive iodine. However, in order to ensure the correct treatment is prescribed it is important that the patient is assessed by their doctor who will explore the severity of the disorder, the patient's age and many other factors.

2. Too much Testosterone Women with higher than normal levels of testosterone, such as women who have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), are more likely to experience male-patterned baldness. This condition is not very common in women because they have higher levels of oestrogen, which helps to balance out the effects of the male hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) a potent form of testosterone that normally leads to hair loss. Women who produce high levels of male hormones, however, have increased testosterone levels which can convert to DHT, thereby increasing their chances of losing their hair. Treatment Options: The treatment for this condition very much depends on an individuals' case. It may involve oral contraceptives that contain oestrogen and progesterone, metformine, spironolactone, a pill supplement of progesterone or glucocorticosteroids. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly and losing weight can also help.

3. Hyper - Oestrogen Progesterone and oestrogen are two dominant female hormones necessary to prepare the uterus for menstruation, however, there are optimal levels in which the hormones should be produced. When progesterone levels are too low, it can lead to the condition of hyper-oestrogen or oestrogen dominance which can trigger excessive hair shedding and ultimately hair loss. Treatment Options: In these cases I would usually recommend a transdermal 2% bioindentical progesterone cream be applied. I would also advise the patient to increase nutrients in the diet by eating a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein etc. It is also important to decrease stress and get a lot of exercise. 

4. Stress Stress can cause hair loss in different ways. In particular it can lead to the build-up of acid-free radicals, which contribute to gradual hair loss. Prolonged periods of stress can lead to changes in hormonal levels, which can also lead to hair loss. Conditions such as trichotillomania (pulling of the hair) are associated with stress. Megan Fox and Victoria Beckham have both both admitted to suffering with this condition. Treatment Options: The good news here is that is that not all stress-related hair loss is permanent. It is important to find the cause of any stress or anxiety firstly, as that will allow the patient to tackle it correctly. This, in most cases, in itself reduces the level of stress related hair loss and allows the lost hair to regrow. It is important to note, however, that your hair loss may not be solely stress related and could also be the result of an underlying medical condition. For this reason, it is always important to consult your GP.

5. Menopause Unlike men, women are protected from hair loss by oestrogen. After the menopause, oestrogen levels drop and therefore most women experience some degree of thinning post menopause. Hair loss which occurs before this, however, can be the result of any of the above factors and can occur at any time. Treatment Options: There are a number of medical treatments that can help reduce hair loss during or after the menopause. These include a specially compounded prescription minoxidil solution, prostaglandin analogs, low-level laser therapy, off-label finasteride (for post-menopausal women only) and nutritional supplements. 

6. Pregnancy and Childbirth Pregnancy and childbirth are known to alter a woman’s hormonal balance which in turn can lead to temporary hair loss. Treatment Options: In most cases the hair will start to re-grow naturally after about 90 days of giving birth and if the hair growth doesn’t return to normal after about a year, it is worth seeing your GP or a trichologist to check for other underlying causes.

Living with Lymphedema after breast cancer - Kathy Bates interview

Having her breasts removed after a cancer diagnosis was worse than having ovarian cancer , Kathy Bates has said. The Oscar-winning actress bravely fought ovarian cancer in 2003 and 10 years later she discovered she had breast cancer.

After learning that she had cancer for the second time, she researched treatments and decided to have a double mastectomy. “Breast cancer runs like a river through my family,” Kathy said before explaining how several members of her family have died from breast cancer and how her niece has battled it after having her second breast removed. “It was strange. Ovarian wasn't so bad for some reason, but breasts were worse. It was very emotional and I really felt like my life was over,” she said.

Watch the interview here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/kathy-bates-heartbreak-over-double-9404698

Lymphedema and Breast Cancer: When Is Risk Greatest?

The time course for developing lymphedema depends on the type of breast cancer treatment, but the risk peaks between 24 and 36 months post therapy, regardless of treatment type, according to new research. Receipt of radiation therapy (RT) is also a key to the timing. "Lymphedema develops earlier in patients who receive radiation, especially those receiving regional lymph node radiation," said the study's lead author, Susan McDuff, MD, PhD, a resident in radiation oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center in Boston.

Lymphedema can be "an incredibly morbid" complication following treatment for breast cancer and is an ongoing source of anxiety for survivors, she said here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2016 Annual Meeting. To help patients know when they may be "out of the woods," Dr McDuff and colleagues undertook a cohort study to determine whether there is a period when patients are at greatest risk. First, they looked at cumulative incidence.

The team analyzed the records of 1495 patients seen between 2005 and 2016 in a prospective lymphedema screening program at MGH. The time it took to reach 5% cumulative incidence by treatment group was 32 months for surgery alone and 15 months for RT (P = .02) However, a further look at the data revealed that patients who received regional lymph node radiation (RLNR) reached the 5% cumulative incidence in only 6 months vs 37 months for those who received local RT (P < .0001). There was a median follow-up of 3.9 years and a cumulative lymphedema incidence of 11.4% in the study population. Nearly three quarters (73%) of the patients received RT as a component of their treatment. To pinpoint risk over time, the researchers looked at the percentage of patients in various treatment groups who were diagnosed with lymphedema in each year during the first 5 years post therapy. This was done by plotting the annual hazard rate for the treatment groups. All patients received some mix of axillary surgery and RT.

The groups were as follows: no axillary surgery (n = 180); sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) plus or minus local RT (n = 899); SLNB plus regional lymph node radiation (RLNR) (n = 46); and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) plus or minus local RT (n = 132); and ALND plus RLNR (n = 264). "The timing of the risk appears to be the most significant within the first 2 to 3 years after treatment," summarized Dr McDuff.


The new study addresses an important clinical question, said Abram Recht, MD, professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who acted as an adviser to the study authors. "If you are going to do surveillance, how long do you have to do it?" he commented to Medscape Medical News. "You can expect that most patients who undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy with or without local RT, which is the largest treatment group, may not need active monitoring past 2 years," he concluded. "The period of the greatest risk is the first 3 years," said Dr Recht, echoing Dr McDuff. "If lymphedema hasn't developed by 5 years, then it probably won't happen," he added. The new results are an argument for "personalizing" a lymphedema monitoring program, said Dr McDuff, adding that more follow-up is needed for high-risk groups.

The goal is early identification and intervention. Shannon MacDonald, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology at Harvard, who acted as discussant of the study, said that the hope with monitoring is "that an earlier intervention for lymphedema would improve outcome." Dr MacDonald told Medscape Medical News that the new study results will also "allow patients to have some alleviation of anxiety as to when to expect lymphedema if it occurs," she said. The findings could also influence "when clinicians have patients come in for monitoring," Dr MacDonald added. This "very large" study makes a "meaningful contribution" to clinical knowledge, in part because there are "limited" data on timing, she said. Lymphedema is less common than in the past, owing to improvements in surgical management, but inaccuracy of measurements has plagued estimates of the incidence of lymphedema, Dr MacDonald said.

The new MGH study used a perometer, a tool that employs infrared technology to objectively measure the limb, which is "more likely to be accurate than a tape measure or other modalities," she said. The perometer was used to perform prospective arm volume measurements of the study patients preoperatively and then postoperatively and in follow-ups at regular intervals. Lymphedema was defined as a >10% relative volume increase occurring >3 months postoperatively. The treatments for lymphedema in the cohort included compression sleeves (88%), manual decompression (52%), and physical therapy–directed exercise (89%). "Patients worry a lot about lymphedema" concluded Dr Recht. "It's a really hard thing in survivorship," agreed Dr McDuff.

4 triggers of holiday stress — and how to manage them

There is a memorable exchange in the movie “Christmas Vacation” when a frazzled Clark Griswold laments the stresses of the season and asks his father for coping advice. “How did you get through it?” Clark says. “I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels,” his dad replies. That’s not a recommended mechanism, of course, but Clark’s sentiment gets echoed in countless households each year around this time. Holiday stress is an annual fact of life for many folks. Charity Wilkinson-Truong, a clinical psychologist who works at Rutgers University and Stress & Anxiety Services of New Jersey — a cognitive behavioral therapy group with offices in East Brunswick and Springfield — offered detailed thoughts on the subject in an interview with Gannett New Jersey. Her holiday stress-management tips cover four different triggers that cause anxiety in November and December.

Trigger one: Unreachable ideals “A lot of what I hear is people having this unhelpful idea that things at the holidays need to be perfect, and this results in a great deal of stress because the goal of perfection is not attainable for any of us,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “I’ll often tell my clients that I don’t think I would like a perfect person. Think about all the times you go back and laugh about things that didn’t go exactly right.” The perfection ideal doesn’t magically appear in peoples’ heads. It’s placed there by a steady stream of outside influences. “We get the soft message from the media, from social media and movies and television shows, that this time of year everything should be happy and wonderful, when that doesn’t match up to anybody’s reality,” Wilkinson-Truong said.

A big driver of this: Facebook photos. “People compare themselves to others when they see pictures on Facebook — pictures of great holiday meals or decorations or a loving family,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “We don’t post pictures of people fighting or being upset. So you see a picture of happy, smiling people and tell yourself, ‘Uh-oh I’m supposed to be like that.’ Well, that’s not a helpful thought.”

It’s better to view such things through a realistic prism. “We encourage people to have more helpful thoughts like, ‘You know what? This picture doesn’t represent everyday life, how everybody is supposed to feel,’ ” she said.

Trigger two: Spending sprees “There’s a lot of stress about gift-giving, being able to give something perfect, or doing something that’s really memorable and different,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “I would really encourage people to set limits and budgets before they go into a store. Shop judiciously and not emotionally. Think about the long-term impact of spending.” Beyond the practical, reflect on why you’re giving in the first place. “Think back on gifts you’ve been given that are most meaningful. They’re usually not the most expensive ones,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “So giving somebody a gift is really about knowing that person, caring about them. We really get hung up on dollar amounts, but dollar amounts don’t reflect our affection for people.” A practical tip: Don’t shop online when you’re feeling tired or anxious. “If you’re feeling stressed or upset, you can go online and it can be real easy to click and buy too much,” she said.

Trigger three: Prickly company Family friction is inevitable in a lot of households when relatives get together. But there are ways to minimize it. “My No. 1 advice, especially right now in a heated political time, is no discussion of politics at all on holidays,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “It’s absolutely forbidden because it’s not helpful. It’s so easy for people to get really upset when politics come up.” Beyond that, Wilkinson-Truong cautioned against reading too deeply into any one comment or question. Most people don’t say things with ill intent. “We hear things with an interpretation that might not be there,” she said. “If a well-meaning relative says, ‘You look tired,’ we put our own spin on that and take it as an insult. So try to think about what the intent was of that person.”

Bottom line: Holiday gatherings are not forensics tournaments. “What’s really your goal — to win arguments and be right, or to have a nice experience and a fun time with people you love and care about?” Wilkinson-Truong said. “What do you really want to happen at the end of the day?”

Trigger four: Lack of sleep This might be the trickiest of them all. The first three triggers are largely mental, but sheer exhaustion around the holidays is what happens when there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. “Not getting enough sleep is absolutely linked to stress and depression,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “What is most helpful is sticking to a schedule, going to bed at the same time and waking at the same time.” If you’re facing a short night’s sleep, she said, a simple act can reduce anxiety about it. “One thing we advise people to do if they’re staring at the clock, worried about not getting enough sleep, is to turn the clocks around,” she said. “It’s not helpful to look at the clock.”

Watch your caffeine intake, too. Having coffee or even chocolate at night can mask an exhausted body’s cry for sleep — to your eventual detriment. “We do a lot of unhealthy things around the holidays,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “We may get out of our healthy eating habits, we may drink too much wine with dinner. These things can lead to feeling badly.” One source of relief, if all else fails? The calendar. “What helps me is reminding myself this is temporary and will pass,” Wilkinson-Truong said. “I’m not getting enough sleep, but my schedule will go back to regular again.”