Fourth of July Must-Haves… And Some Essential Sleep Tips

It’s the fourth of July again! Time to celebrate our freedom and have fun, right?

But first, let's make sure we're prepared with all the fourth of July must-haves to have a fantastic celebration and a good night's sleep at the end of the day. Our biological clock never takes a day off, we all know it.

For many people, holidays are a free pass to overwork their bodies, with all the excitement of the holidays. And that’s ok, we all deserve some fun every once in a while.

However, when the holidays start turning into sleepless nights, and those nights turn into sleepless weekends, you know it's time for some preventive measures.

You might think of a body as a sort of party pooper. It’s on a strict clock, and if you don’t stick to its schedule, you’re going to pay the price. When we eat more than usual, drink more than usual, and stay up later than usual, we're pushing our bodies on edge, especially when it comes to sleep.

There are five sleep cycles. Our bodies need to go through all of them to wake up fully refreshed.

Tip: It takes your body about 90 minutes to go through each sleep cycle. The third and fourth of which are REM sleep cycles, the sleep periods our body uses to repair itself.

According to sleep coach, Nick Littlehale, advisor to the Manchester United Football club, “People may go to bed for a full seven or eight hours, but they never make it to the deep stages, so they don’t wake and feel fully recovered.”

What are some of the reasons our bodies don't go through these crucial stages?

Here are some of the most common reasons:

• irregular sleep cycles
• drinking too much alcohol
• eating the wrong foods before going to sleep

Does it sound familiar? These are all the typical 4th of July activities.

Let's have a look at how to keep sleep damage control to a minimum with these fourth of July must-haves and sleep tips.

Keep your surroundings dark

Prepare your body for sleep at least 90 minutes before bedtime. Start by dimming the lights in your bedroom. The blue light will signal the body that it’s daytime and will suppress melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone the body needs to sleep.

If you have trouble keeping your bedroom dark when you go to sleep, consider using a sleep mask. Pure Silk Sleeping Mask is perfect for tired eyes and keeps out every trace of light.

You might also be interested in: You Can Laugh At Your Sleep Problems With These 7 Healthy Sleep Habits

Avoid screens

Computer, television, and iPad screens are just as bad as the sun when it comes to melatonin suppression before going to sleep. All the blue light from electronic devices tricks your body into thinking it’s daylight; your body will start lowering melatonin production. That’s not something you want late at night.

Our best suggestion? Invest in a pair of Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses. They have amber tinted lenses that neutralize the blue light from computers entirely, so you can surf the web whenever you want and still get a good night's sleep! Take that blue light! (They’re very cool looking too!)

Avoid too much alcohol

Another thing Hale recommends is avoiding alcohol. While it may make you initially sleepy, the actual sleep you get will interrupt your sleep cycles and negatively affect your heart’s health.

Tip: If you must drink on the 4th, try to tamper the effects by drinking water throughout the day. It will keep the adverse effects to a minimum.

Extra tips to keep a steady sleep schedule

• Try and get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. That is about how long it takes to go through all three sleep cycles. If you wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle, you won’t feel fully rested.
• Keep a sleep schedule. If your body is conditioned to wake up and fall asleep at set times, it will be more in sync with your circadian rhythms.
• Resist the snooze button. It’s true what they say "if you snooze, you lose." Here's what happens when you hit your snooze button, you're likely to fall into a deep sleep, and ten minutes later, when your alarm goes off again, you will be waking a deep sleep which will make you feel groggy throughout the day.
• Try the power nap. According to Littlehale, “If you know you’re going to have some late nights and might feel tired, you could try and schedule a nap on the weekend.” He recommends giving yourself a 90-minute refresh so that you can get a full cycle in. However, even 30 minutes can be enough sometimes.

You might also be interested in: 6 Sleep-Inducing Drinks You Can Easily Make Yourself

Last minute Fourth of July must-haves

At Swanwick Sleep, we want you to celebrate your freedom and have the best sleep of your life at the end of your fun day. That's why we've prepared some hard-to-resist deals that should make it on your fourth of July must-haves list. Here is a little sneak peek:

• If you buy two pairs of Swannies, you get an additional Kids Swannies for FREE!
• If you buy two Kids Swannies, you’ll get 20% OFF your purchase.

We’re just getting started!

Be sure to join us on 4th of July for some fabulous deals that are guaranteed to help both you and your family get the best sleep of your lives. Stay tuned!

Until then, we wish you all a Happy 4th of July!

Friendly safety tip: remember to protect your eyes from fireworks. Always wear safety goggles when handling fireworks yourself, or leave it to the professionals.

Keep your Swannies close by and get some for your entire family on Wednesday. Let the party begin!