Last updated: October 2026
To sleep on Christmas Eve, keep to your usual bedtime, get the jobs done by early evening, skip the late coffee and the extra nightcap, and use a relaxation technique like slow breathing once you’re in bed. Still awake after 20 minutes? Get up and reset somewhere calm.
Below: why Christmas Eve is hard to sleep on, tips for adults and for getting children to sleep, how to protect your sleep between Christmas and New Year, and how to sleep well when you’re staying with family.
Why can’t I sleep on Christmas Eve?
| Reason | What helps |
|---|---|
| Excitement, for children and adults alike | A calm wind-down hour and a relaxation technique in bed |
| A mental to-do list (wrapping, the turkey, timings) | Write it all down before bed so your brain can let go |
| Late wrapping or cooking | Finish jobs by early evening; good enough is fine |
| Alcohol and rich food | Pace drinks, have water, eat your main meal earlier |
| Caffeine from coffee, tea, cola or chocolate | Switch to decaf or herbal tea after midday |
| A strange bed at someone else’s house | Bring earplugs, an eye mask and your own pillow |
| An early start on Christmas morning | Go to bed a little earlier rather than lying in later |
How to sleep on Christmas Eve: 8 tips
- Plan the day so jobs finish by about 8pm. Leave wrapping that isn’t done in a bag; nobody minds.
- Have your last caffeine by midday. Remember chocolate and cola count.
- Pace the alcohol. It may help you drop off but breaks up sleep later in the night. Alternate with water or an alcohol-free drink. See alcohol-free nightcaps.
- Get outside for a walk in daylight during the day.
- Take an hour to wind down: dim lights, a warm bath or shower, a warm drink, a festive film you know by heart.
- Write a list of tomorrow’s timings and jobs before bed.
- Use a body-based technique in bed, such as the military method, 4-7-8 breathing or muscle relaxation. See how to fall asleep fast.
- If you’re awake after about 20 minutes, get up, sit somewhere dim and quiet, and go back when sleepy. Don’t start wrapping.
Some people like a warm magnesium drink as part of their evening routine. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function. See magnesium for sleep.
How to get children to sleep on Christmas Eve
- Burn off energy early: a long walk or time in the park on Christmas Eve afternoon.
- Keep the usual bedtime routine, even if bedtime is a little later: bath, pyjamas, teeth, story.
- Make the routine special but calm: new pyjamas, a Christmas story, leaving out a treat for Father Christmas.
- No screens or sugary snacks in the last hour.
- Set a “not before” time for Christmas morning, with a stocking they can open quietly in bed.
- Remind them, gently, that Father Christmas only comes when they’re asleep.
Our products are for adults only, so this part is about routine, not supplements.
Sleeping well at family or friends’ houses
- Pack a sleep kit: earplugs, an eye mask, your own pillow and comfy layers.
- Keep your phone on silent and away from the bed.
- Agree a quiet hour with your hosts if you’re on a sofa bed in a busy room.
- Sharing a bed with a snorer? Earplugs first; see sleep divorce for more ideas.
- Get daylight early on the first morning to help a new room feel like home.
Sleep between Christmas and New Year
The days between Christmas and New Year often blur into late nights, long lie-ins and grazing. That’s fine for a few days, but it can leave you feeling groggy and make going back to work hard.
| Do | Try to avoid |
|---|---|
| Keep your wake time within about an hour of normal | Lie-ins of 3 hours or more |
| Get outside for a walk every day | Whole days indoors in front of screens |
| Have some alcohol-free nights | Drinking every evening |
| Short naps before 3pm if you need one | Long late-afternoon naps |
Getting back on track in January
From about 2 January, bring your wake time back to normal, even if you slept late on New Year’s Eve, and get morning daylight. Your bedtime will follow within a few days. If you’re planning a month off alcohol, see Dry January, and if January feels heavy, Blue Monday and the January blues.
If the run-up to Christmas is getting to you, see how to have a calmer Christmas.
FAQs
How do I fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
Finish jobs early, avoid late caffeine and too much alcohol, wind down for an hour, write a to-do list and use slow breathing or muscle relaxation in bed.
Why can’t I sleep on Christmas Eve?
Excitement, a busy mind, late jobs, alcohol, rich food and caffeine all make it harder to switch off.
How do I get my kids to sleep on Christmas Eve?
Tire them out with outdoor play, keep the usual bedtime routine, avoid screens and sugar in the last hour, and set a “not before” time for the morning.
How do I sleep well at someone else’s house over Christmas?
Bring earplugs, an eye mask and your own pillow, keep your phone away from the bed, and get daylight early in the morning.
How do I fix my sleep after Christmas?
Bring your wake time back to normal first and get morning daylight. Your bedtime will settle within a few days.
Sources
- NHS. Sleep and tiredness.
- NHS. Insomnia.
- Ebrahim IO et al (2013). Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
- Scullin MK et al (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Evopure makes the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex and Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex. Our products are for adults only.
