Holi-dazed: 1 in 3 adults already suffering from ‘holiday burnout’

NEW YORK — Christmas is still a few days away, but plenty of Americans are already sick and tired of the holidays. A new survey finds that one in three adults are suffering from “holiday burnout.”

For many Americans, the holiday season is far from joyous. While 35 percent of the 2,000 adults surveyed agree they’re burnt out from anything holiday-related, 68 percent of the respondents find the period stretching from Thanksgiving thru Christmas to be a “stressful” time. In fact, the average person finds themselves feeling like they need a break 10 times over the period.

It could be because of all the prep work that goes into each holiday. The survey, commissioned by Slumber Cloud, found that the average American will spend 38 hours getting ready for the holidays. Shopping will account for most of that time, about 13 hours, followed by cooking. The survey found Americans spend nine hours and 17 minutes in the kitchen preparing, serving, and cleaning up for holiday meals.

The average person also spends an additional nine hours just planning for all the holidays, and then devotes about seven hours to decorations.

With all the hard work to do, researchers found that holiday burnout sets in for 36 percent of Americans before mid-December, with 17 percent admitting the most wonderful time of the year ended for them before December even began. Participants agreed that the massive crowds and constant shopping contributed most to the festive frustration, followed long lines, and seemingly endless blaring of holiday music. Holiday-themed commercials also bothered respondents.

And of course, too much time with family can wind up being a bummer for many. The survey found the average American is forced to hear three awkward jokes, answer three personal questions about their love lives, reminisce seven times about old memories, and battle through four arguments all with family members.

It’s no wonder that many people find themselves sleeping less in December. Holiday burnout appears to take its toll on our rest, with 57 percent of respondents saying they sacrifice sleep during the holidays, losing about an hour of sleep per night. Half of the respondents also say that hosting family and friends leads to fewer hours of sleep, while four out of 10 participants admit that eating too much causes them to sleep poorly over the holiday season.

“Losing an hour of sleep at night is not sustainable, especially during the high stress holiday season,” says Willy Madison, a sleep enthusiast at Slumber Cloud, in a statement. “That’s why it’s so important to create a bedroom environment designed to keep you from tossing and turning at night and instead enjoying the limited time you do have set aside actually sleeping.”

As for what to do when you feel like you’ve had enough? Napping was the most popular remedy, followed by relaxing alone in your bedroom, listening to music, or taking a walk.

“This holiday season, give yourself the gift of a great night’s sleep, and you’ll be surprised at how much an impact it makes on your ability to handle ‘Festive Burnout’ along with those awkward jokes from relatives,” says Madison.

The survey was conducted by OnePoll in September 2018.

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