A Guide to Surviving the Festive Period

By Meaghers Pharmacy

Christmas is such a great time of the year for making memories and, let’s be honest, for a little overindulgence. While it’s important to enjoy festive treats and gatherings, maintaining your health during this busy time can set the tone for the new year. Here’s a few tips to help you survive the festivities and help you manage everything from your stress to your sleep to your gut health.

Manage Stress

Christmas can be stressful both financially and with different family pressures. Try to set realistic expectations:

The pressure to create the “perfect” Christmas can be overwhelming. Focus on what truly matters—spending quality time with loved ones and enjoying the moment. A supplement that can help with that overwhelming feeling is Fabu R&R Relax. This is based on the ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha with B vitamins and magnesium to support your psychological function, nervous system, mental performance and reduce tiredness and fatigue.

Try to take a few minutes out every day, just for you, and practice a little mindfulness or deep breathing exercises. Even a few minutes a day can help reduce anxiety and improve your overall mood. Try making a to-do list to help manage the chaos of the holiday season. From shopping to meal planning, staying organised can alleviate stress and help you enjoy the festivities more.

Maintain Energy Levels

Christmas is a marathon and not a sprint so balanced meals can ensure you don’t rely solely on sugar-laden snacks and drinks for a quick energy boost. If possible, try to have meals that are balanced and include protein, healthy fats, and whole grains.

Christmas can disrupt your usual routine. Even short walks or a quick workout can boost your energy levels and improve your mood. Consider a family walk after meals—it’s a great way to bond and burn off some calories!

Limit Caffeine: While caffeine can provide a temporary energy boost, it can also lead to crashes later. Try to moderate your intake, opting for green tea or herbal alternatives to help maintain steady energy levels.

Why not try a supplement to help improve your energy and boost your immunity? One of our top picks is Revive Active, it’s a super supplement with 26 active ingredients including 11 vitamins, 7 minerals, 6 amino acids all in one daily sachet. Revive Active helps to increase your energy levels and reduce fatigue while supporting your immune and nervous system.

Prioritise Gut Health

The holidays often come with a smorgasbord of rich foods. While it’s okay to indulge, aim for balance. Incorporate fibre-rich fruits and vegetables to support your gut microbiome. Include probiotic-rich foods in your diet. Items like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi can promote a healthy gut flora, aiding digestion during heavy meals.

Stay Hydrated: With all the holiday drinks around, it’s easy to forget water. Staying hydrated supports digestion and can help mitigate the effects of rich foods. Aim for at least 8 glasses a day.

Our go to gut health supplement has to be Symprove, it’s the gold standard in gut health support. Symprove utilises a unique formulation of live and active bacteria that work harmoniously with your body’s microbiome. Through a patented delivery system, these beneficial bacteria bypass the harsh stomach environment and reach the targeted areas of your gut, where they can flourish and provide their numerous benefits.

Focus on Sleep

A good night sleep is the building block for our immunity. Establish a Routine: with late nights and early mornings over the festive period, it’s easy to get off track with sleep. Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and aim for 6-8 hours of quality sleep each night.

Create a Relaxing Environment: Make your bedroom a sanctuary. Keep the room dark, cool, and quiet. Limit Screen Time: the blue light emitted by screens can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Try to avoid screens at least an hour before bed. Instead, opt for reading or gentle stretches to wind down.

Our supplement of choice to aid sleep is Leapfrog SNOOZE, chewable tablets that support the nervous system with Lactium® & Lactoferrin (sourced from cow’s milk) & Vitamin B6. Lactium is a milk protein hydrolysate with soothing effects on the nervous system, shown to increase GABA activity and reduce cortisol levels. Lactoferrin is a protein that we synthesise daily that is known to play a role in our anti-viral defences and is a key component of mother’s milk.

This powerful nervous system support supplement can help to calm anxiety and stress and lead to a more restful sleep. It contains a blend of the natural lactium and lactoferrin plus vitamin B6 in a chewable format.

While the holiday season is a time for celebration, it’s also an opportunity to take care of you. By focusing on gut health, maintaining energy levels, prioritising sleep, and managing stress, you can navigate Christmas and enjoy every moment. Embrace the season, make mindful choices, and remember that health is a wonderful gift you can give yourself as you step into the new year!

Oonagh O’Hagan

Meaghers Pharmacy Paid Partnership with Meaghers.