If you find yourself stressed during the holiday season, it's possible you may not be sleeping well enough.

Getting a good night's sleep can be critical in making it through the holidays and winter months with reduced stress. Dr. Jim LaValle is the author of 'Cracking the Metabolic Code' and explains even getting a good night's sleep can help curb appetite which leads to a bad diet.

If you find it difficult to maintain sleep throughout the night, there could be several things going on. Dr. LaValle indicates that stress hormones are being released in your sleep. He recommends melatonin before sleep or a supplement like magnesium during the day.

Drinking caffeine too late in the day can cause issues while sleeping but Dr. LaValle indicates alcohol consumption impacts sleep. He also recommends putting the phone and tablets down an hour or so before bedtime as the blue light from the screen impacts brain function.

If you are hearing from your spouse or significant other that you are snoring in the night, Dr. LaValle encourages getting tested for sleep apnea because that can lead to all sorts of risk factors. 

Dr. LaValle points out sleep and its importance is becoming a growing area of study in healthcare.