Staying Healthy Through the Festive Rush

Before the calendar officially declares Christmas, the body already knows. Sleep becomes lighter. Meals become heavier. Roads grow longer. The days stretch, the nights shorten, and suddenly December feels less like a season and more like a race. If you pause for a moment and listen closely, you will hear it—not the carols or the generators, but your body quietly asking for mercy.

The festive season is meant to be a time of joy, rest, and reconnection. Yet for many Nigerians, it has turned into a marathon of eating, travelling, spending, hosting, and explaining—often all at once. By the time January arrives, the body is usually the first thing to submit a complaint. But here is the truth we rarely say out loud: celebrating does not have to come at the cost of your health. You can enjoy the season fully without paying for it with exhaustion, illness, or regret. Let us start where December begins for most people—at the table.

Festive eating is rarely planned; it just happens. One plate becomes two. A “small taste” turns into a full serving. Rice waits patiently. Meat appears endlessly. Soft drinks replace water. Alcohol flows as freely as laughter. For a while, the body copes. Then it pushes back—with heartburn, bloating, sluggishness, headaches, and restless sleep. Overeating is not simply about gaining weight. It stresses digestion, spikes blood sugar, strains the heart, and leaves you feeling drained in a season meant for joy. The goal is not to avoid the food you love; it is to slow down while enjoying it. Eat deliberately. Serve smaller portions first. Drink water before meals. Pay attention to fullness. Celebration is not measured by how much you eat but by how well you feel afterwards.

Alcohol deserves special honesty. In festive Nigeria, refusing a drink can feel like breaking an unwritten rule. Yet December is one of the busiest periods in emergency rooms for alcohol-related problems—accidents, dehydration, heart rhythm disturbances, and liver stress. Alcohol dehydrates the body, disrupts sleep, and lowers judgment. A simple rule helps: for every alcoholic drink, take a glass of water. Decide your limit before the night begins. No celebration is worth waking up to a health scare.

Now, let us talk about sleep—the most abused resource of the season. Late nights blend into early mornings. Travel plans steal rest. Social obligations stretch bedtime. Sleep deprivation may feel harmless, but it quietly weakens immunity, raises blood pressure, worsens mood, and impairs concentration. If full nights of sleep are unrealistic, protect quality where you can. Short naps help. Reducing screen time before bed helps. Going to bed at roughly the same time—even during festivities—helps more than you think. Sleep is not laziness; it is repair.

The roads, unfortunately, are where the festive rush turns dangerous. December is Nigeria’s deadliest travel period. Fatigue, impatience, alcohol use, poor road conditions, and overcrowded vehicles collide. Many accidents are caused not by speed but by tiredness. Driving long hours without rest slows reaction time and clouds judgment. If you are travelling, plan breaks. Avoid night journeys when possible. Stay hydrated. And never drive under pressure—no destination is worth not arriving alive.

Beyond the physical toll, the festive season also carries emotional weight. Christmas amplifies everything. Happiness becomes louder. Loneliness becomes sharper. Financial worries feel heavier. Family expectations resurface. For those grieving, the season can reopen wounds. For others, the pressure to appear joyful becomes exhausting.

Here is an important reminder: you are allowed to feel however you feel. Not everyone experiences Christmas as a season of joy, and pretending otherwise takes a real toll on mental health. Anxiety and low mood often increase during this period, even among those who seem fine on the outside. Taking breaks from social events, setting boundaries, and choosing quiet moments are not signs of weakness—they are acts of self-care.

Movement is another quiet ally many people abandon in December. Sitting becomes the default—at parties, in traffic, at home. Yet gentle movement improves digestion, stabilises blood sugar, lifts mood, and improves sleep. You do not need a gym or a rigid routine. Walk after meals. Stretch in the morning. Dance at events. Movement does not have to look serious to be effective. Hydration, especially during Harmattan, is easily forgotten. Dry air, alcohol, and sugary drinks quietly drain the body of fluids. Dehydration causes headaches, fatigue, constipation, and kidney strain. Water should remain your most loyal companion this season. If you feel thirsty, you are already late.

For people living with chronic conditions—high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, heart disease—the festive rush demands extra caution. Skipping medications, abandoning routines, or indulging excessively can undo months of careful control. Carry your medicines with you. Monitor your readings. Eat mindfully. Festive freedom should never include medical neglect. One of the healthiest decisions you can make this season is learning when to stop. Not every invitation requires attendance. Not every gathering deserves your energy. Saying “I need to rest” is not selfish—it is intelligent.

And finally, think about January. Health problems do not magically appear in January; they are often December’s unfinished business. The aim is not to enter the New Year thinner, stricter, or deprived. The aim is to arrive stable—physically, mentally, emotionally. Because the body is not an afterthought to celebration; it is the reason celebration is possible at all. So as you eat, pause. As you travel, rest. As you celebrate, listen—to your body, your limits, and your needs. Offer yourself the same care you extend to guests, family, and friends. This Christmas, may joy not come with exhaustion. May laughter not end in illness. May the season leave you nourished, not depleted. Celebrate meaningfully. Rest deliberately. Care for your body gently. And as the year draws to a close, may this Christmas bring you good health, quiet strength, and renewed hope for the year ahead. Merry Christmas.