It’s often claimed to be the most wonderful time of the year, yet many of us find ourselves stressed and sleep-deprived in the days leading up to Christmas, according to research.
A recent study suggests that as Christmas approaches, many of us will wish for extra hours of sleep from Santa Claus.
The study indicates that 45 percent of Australians will lose 21 hours of sleep this week, with some women experiencing such high levels of stress from holiday preparations that they have Christmas-themed nightmares once they do manage to fall asleep.
In a survey involving 2,000 adults, 45 percent of Australians reported they will manage with just five hours of sleep each night over the coming week, as late-night socialising, wrapping presents, and worrying about Christmas Day organization eat into their time.
In addition to going to bed later this week, four in ten adults will wake up an hour earlier each morning to fit in all their daily tasks.
On Christmas Eve, one in five parents will stay up all night to fill stockings, assemble toys, and finish last-minute preparations.
While disrupted sleep patterns affect both genders this week, women appear to be more severely impacted by the ‘Stressmas’ phenomenon.
The study found that 59 percent of women experience high stress levels in the week prior to Christmas, while 42 percent claimed that hosting Christmas was their most stressful task.
Furthermore, many women reported having festive nightmares linked to stress and lack of sleep, with common nightmares including showing up naked at the family Christmas lunch or facing an enormous turkey attack.
Also, 45 percent of men feel that women create too much drama over Christmas, adding unnecessary stress, while 36 percent believe they could host the day better than their partners, resulting in a stress-free experience.
Conversely, 85 percent of women assert that men fail to comprehend or appreciate the effort and anxiety involved in organizing a perfect Christmas, and 41 percent worry their friends and family won’t see them as domestic goddesses but will judge their hosting abilities.
Based on the survey commissioned by the hotel chain Travelodge, a third of women reported feeling more stressed when accommodating guests during the holiday season than while preparing the Christmas meal.
Additionally, a quarter of female participants expressed a preference for seasonal visitors who stay just for the day and not overnight.
A further 25 percent of women noted that having overnight guests prevented them from enjoying their favorite TV shows.
by Susan Floyd
