January Sleep Tips: Easing Back Into Routine After the Holidays

Lorraine Irlam, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Jan 5
5 min read

Updated: Jan 7

A few gentle ways to steady your sleep without perfection, pressure, or strict rules.

Close-up of pinecones and green needles in focus, with blurred brown paper-wrapped gifts in the background, creating a festive mood.

January can feel like a strange in-between space. The holidays may be over, but your body and mind don’t instantly snap back into routine. Many people notice their sleep feels “off” in January - irregular bedtimes, early-morning awakenings, or that wired-but-exhausted feeling as stress ramps up again.

If that’s happening for you, you’re not alone. January often brings a mix of fatigue, pressure to reset, and shifting light levels. This month, here are a few gentle ways to steady your sleep without perfection, pressure, or strict rules.

Why January Sleep Is So Disrupted (and Why It's Normal)

After several weeks of holidays, socializing, travel, or simply a break from structure, your circadian rhythm (the body’s 24-hour biological clock) may think it’s been in a different time zone – whether you’ve been travelling or not. Even enjoyable disruptions - sleeping in, staying up later, eating differently - can nudge your sleep timing off centre.

On top of that, January is one of the darkest months of the year in Canada. Short daylight hours can reduce natural cues that help regulate your circadian rhythm. And when routines resume, stress and anxiety often reappear quickly: work deadlines, school schedules, financial pressure, or simply the emotional weight of “a new year.”

When anxiety and routine changes collide, you may notice:

Feeling tired all day but alert at night
Early-morning waking
Lying in bed thinking about responsibilities
A sense of “I need to fix my sleep right now”

This is all very common at this time of year. Understanding this can reduce the self-blame that often makes insomnia worse. Your sleep isn’t broken - it’s simply adjusting. This is exactly why gentle January sleep tips can be supportive, because your routine and circadian rhythm may just need time and small cues to settle again after the holiday season.

3 January Sleep Tips to Gently Support Your Nights

1. Start With a Consistent Wake-Up Time

January is a wonderful month to re-anchor your sleep schedule - not by forcing yourself to sleep, but by giving your brain a predictable “light-on” moment each day. In fact, if you’ve been experiencing chronic insomnia, waking up - and exposing your eyes to light - at the same time every day is one of the best way to re-set your sleep!

You don’t need a perfect routine. Instead, pick a wake-up time you can maintain most days, even on weekends. If you’ve been waking much later during the holidays, consider shifting gradually: 15-20 minutes earlier every few days is enough.

Minimalist round wall clock on a light-coloured wall with soft sunlight casting shadows.

Why it helps: Your wake time is the “master cue” that resets your body clock. Even if the night wasn’t great, getting up at roughly the same time helps your sleep cycle reset naturally. Think of it as planting a small flag that your body can orient to.

Be gentle: If you feel groggy or anxious when the alarm goes off, a “smart” dawn simulating light can be a kinder, gentler way to wake up. If it helps the transition, move slowly for the first few minutes. Dim lights, warm socks, a quiet drink of water - anything that helps you meet the day with less pressure. And then…bright lights, energizing music and getting active can help to combat that morning grogginess, known as “sleep inertia”.

2. Give Yourself “Wind-Down Space”

Evenings in January often feel compressed: dark early, busy days, long to-do lists and resolutions. Instead of trying to create the perfect wind-down routine, aim for a wind-down space - at least a 10–20 minute buffer where you intentionally shift gears. If you’ve been experiencing chronic insomnia, a full hour to transition from your busy day to your sleep time can be helpful.

Some nice ideas:

Light stretching
Soft music
A warm shower
Journaling worries and setting them aside for tomorrow
A steady, repetitive task (folding, tidying, making tea)
A favourite sensory comfort (cozy throw blanket, gentle fragrance, warmth)

Although routines can be helpful, t doesn’t need to be the same thing every night. The goal is not to “make yourself sleepy,” but rather to give your body a clear transition from doing → resting → sleeping. This can help calm the “busy monkey mind” that is so unhelpful for sleep. Many people find this approach more compassionate and easier to maintain than rigid routines.

Feel free to grab the free downloadable handout: Overactive Monkey Mind Brain Dump - writing exercise (Scroll to bottom for the handout.)

Person lying on a sofa reading a book, legs comfortably stretched out on the cushion.

3. If You Wake in the Night, Try a “Reset Move” Instead of Fighting Sleep

January often brings early-morning awakenings - 3 AM can feel deceptively loud, anxious, or full of planning thoughts.

Instead of lying in bed struggling, try a reset move:

Let your body rest in bed for a few minutes.
If the worry, frustration, or alertness builds, gently get up and go to a low-light, comfortable space.
Do something calm and neutral: reading, breathing, colouring, a puzzle, or listening to audio.

You’re not trying to force sleep - you’re simply helping your mind and body settle without the pressure of “I have to sleep right now.”

By removing the performance anxiety, many people find that natural sleepiness returns more easily.

A January Note of Reassurance

If your sleep is unpredictable this month, please know this doesn’t mean it will stay this way. Sleep often stabilizes gradually, especially after stress, holidays, or shifts in routine. Your body wants rhythm - it just needs time to find its way back.

Be patient with yourself. Begin with the ideas that feel realistic or supportive, not the ones that add pressure. If your January doesn’t feel like a fresh start yet, that’s completely okay. Rest can begin with very small (even tiny) changes.

For more tips, check out our previous blogs:

Is your overactive mind keeping you up at night?
Ever wonder why evening screentime affects some people’s sleep and not others?
And be sure to check out our previous blog on The ONE thing that can help achieve almost any New Year's resolution.

If You Need Support

If insomnia or anxiety has been affecting your days - or your ability to cope - I offer online counselling anxiety and sleep (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia – aka CBT-I). Join my (short) waitlist today or, for an immediately available and low cost option, check out my online self-guided option.

As soon as your name comes up next on the waitlist, we'll call you for a free 15-minute phone consultation - your opportunity to learn more about one-on-one sessions for anxiety and/or CBT for insomnia (CBT-I).