Looking Forward to the Holiday Season? This Year, Choose Sleep

The holiday season has finally arrived, bringing with it the customary festive cheer, ubiquitous holiday music, and strings of lights as far as the eye can see. No matter which holiday you’ll be celebrating in the upcoming weeks, there’s no denying the holiday fervor is about to reach full swing, which is exciting… and also totally exhausting.

And here at Hatch, we're all about bringing the joy without a side of overwhelm.

We’ve all heard the claim that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and while there’s elements of truth to that, it certainly isn’t for your rest, relaxation, and – above all – your sleep. In fact, nearly 30% of Americans say they get less sleep during the holiday season.  If you ask us, that’s naughty, not nice. 

It can be exhausting to take part in the myriad holiday activities that surround the end of the year. Holiday stress can build up in many ways, from social over-extension, to financial worries, to the disruption of crucial routines, as family descends on your household or you head off to the in-laws for yet another celebratory dinner. 

While you go gift hunting for your loved ones this year we want you to remember something important: The most important gift you can give to yourself and others is, well, you. 

And by that, we mean that we're encouraging you to prioritize your own wellbeing this December so you can be the best version of yourself. You’ll feel better, stay healthier, and be able to enjoy the holidays all the more if you take a step back and work on being the best version of yourself. 

And, as we and science believe, one of the best ways to be the best version of yourself is by getting the rest and sleep you deserve. 

Choose Sleep This Holiday Season

We’re not advocating for you to buy the next plane ticket to the North Pole or spend the upcoming four weeks ignoring every phone call or ‘season’s greetings’ card that comes your way. What we are saying, however, is that sleep is the foundation of a healthy, balanced, lifestyle, and that is what you need more than ever during the hectic holiday season. 

If you want to truly enjoy the people in your life and celebrate this time of year, you need to make sure that foundation is rock solid, and that means choosing to sleep at times you might not usually, or might feel pressure not to.    

Here are a couple of scenarios when it’s totally acceptable to prioritize your needs and your sleep over the holiday spirit:

🎉 Holiday Parties: Do you dread Uncle Ted’s annual holiday gathering? Don’t feel like spending six hours at your office bash? Why spend time at a function that isn’t mandatory and doesn’t give you any holiday cheer? It’s totally OK to politely decline or leave early and give yourself the gift of being snuggled up in bed watching Love Actually at 8PM instead. 

✈️ Holiday Trips: Traveling at this time of year can be downright miserable. We totally get that sometimes it’s unavoidable – and it's wonderful to greet those loved ones you might only get to see once a year. On the other hand, think if there are any trips you can tactfully shorten - even move to another, less hectic month. Your bed will be overjoyed to have you back early. 

🥂Celebrating with Friends: December can be the perfect time reconnect with old friends and loved ones you haven’t seen in a while. We don’t want you to avoid the people you want to see, but consider when you’re seeing them and what you’re doing. Offer to have brunch with your high school best friend rather than reliving the glory days at 1AM. Go for a daytime walk instead of a nighttime tree lighting. You’ll get that time with them you’re looking for and your sleep routine won’t know the difference. 

Give Yourself the Gift of Sleep with Restore

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: You’re only your best self if you’re getting great sleep. At the heart of any great night’s sleep is a healthy sleep schedule and a consistent sleep routine. 

We’ve made it our business to study what works and what doesn’t when it comes to helping people fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling ready for whatever lies ahead. All those years of research have culminated in Restore, a powerful sunrise alarm clock specifically designed to help create good sleep habits, give you a full night’s rest, and gently help you greet each morning the way nature intended. 

When we say Restore is your all-in-one bedside sleep guide, we mean it. 

With a Restore dream machine on your nightstand paired with the Hatch+ Membership (and our ever-expanding library of sleep-related content), you’ll get:

• The tools you need to form consistent sleep habits and a bedtime routine that matches your unique needs.
• A massive selection of carefully curated content including bedtime stories designed to help you wind down, white noise and other natural tones to block out unwanted sounds that might wake you up. Not to mention the dozens of gentle wake up sounds and melodies to lift you out of sleep the right way.
• A sunrise alarm clock feature scientifically designed to help your circadian rhythm realize it’s time to meet the day, gently waking you while at the same time finely tuning your internal clock. 

With features like these, it’s not hard to see why 83% of Restore users reported improved sleep.

So this holiday season, prioritize yourself, choose sleep, and enjoy some respite from your respite. And of course, if you’re in need of gift ideas, give the gift of great rest to your loved ones with our family of products for anyone you know who needs a little extra shut eye.