The holiday season can bring on elevated levels of stress, in addition to the daily stress associated with work and home life.

Dr. Jason Baietto, with Adio Chiropractic, says there are a few simple nightly habits that can release daily stress before heading into an evening slumber.

"One of the best things is a five minute routine to do at the end of the night, to release the emotional stress. First thing is to keep a gratitude journal, write three things you are grateful for. Super simple and easy, but very powerful to change your mind set into that positive frame," he said.

Dr. Baietto says a few simple steps can help release emotional stress from the day, and create a platform for a more restful and quality sleep.

"Write a to-do list for the following day, five most important things for you to do. It should take just 30 seconds, doesn't cost anything, but it just helps you sleep so much better. Great way to release your stress," he said.

Dr. Baietto says simply focusing on what we cherish most this holiday season is a great way to shift stress into a calming feeling.

"Focusing on what you care most about. What's really needed at this time of year, is love. Caring about each other, finding ways to get together. There's so many great things to do here in Okotoks that are either free, or very low cost," he said.

A short one-minute deep breathing exercise is the third component to the nightly strategies for releasing daily stress.

Dr. Baietto says implementing these simple strategies in the evening before bed will assist greatly with the quality of sleep, leading to less stress and better overall health.

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