Sleep Information Website Says Earlier Black Friday Hours Actually Benefit Shoppers

Every year it seems the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, otherwise known as Black Friday, comes earlier. It started with stores opening at ridiculously early hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving, trying to lure shoppers with low prices. Then, in the last few years, those same stores started opening at midnight on Friday. This year, the sales are starting so early that Black Friday won’t begin on Friday at all. Instead, the sales will start on Thursday, with a number of stores opening at eight or nine o’clock on Thanksgiving day. According to premier online sleep news and information website SleepBetter.org, this is a big benefit for sleep-deprived consumers.

Setting aside complaints that this frenzy of consumerism is invading a beloved holiday, as well as the labor unrest caused by the additional working hours, there is a silver lining for shoppers — they may not lose as much sleep if they want to participate in the big shopping frenzy.

Shoppers who head out to the stores at eight or nine o’clock in the evening and return around 10 or 11 p.m. can make up any lost sleep by staying in bed an extra hour or so the next day. That scenario is preferable in terms of health and safety (as shoppers drive drowsy on the way home) to shoppers getting up at three o’clock in the morning and shopping until 10 a.m.

Shoppers who DO feel the need to set the alarm for “oh dark thirty” in order to get a great deal on a flat panel TV (for instance), like many said they would in SleepBetter’s 2010 Thanksgiving shopping survey, should use these tips to try to minimize the impact of the lost sleep:

• It’s not necessary to lose sleep to get a good deal. Shopping online from home (and at a reasonable hour) can yield some great deals as well. Many online retailers are offering free shipping during the holiday season.
• Shoppers who MUST be up in the middle of the night should plan ahead. Sleeping a little extra for a couple of nights before the big event can help minimize the sleep debt accrued on Black Friday.
• Making time for a nap after shopping can help eliminate some of the sleep debt accrued on Black Friday. Waiting until late in the day for that nap can be counter-productive, however, as it can make sleep difficult that night.
• Caffeine is useful, but should be used wisely. Having a cup of coffee during the shopping frenzy or later in the morning (or both) isn’t a big deal. However, don’t drink it the late afternoon or evening, as it may make sleep difficult that night.

In short, SleepBetter doesn’t recommend giving up sleep for shopping, but those who do should try to make up the sleep debt as soon as possible. For more sleep news and advice, visit SleepBetter.org and use the search bar at the top of the site.

About SleepBetter.org
Created by Carpenter Co., SleepBetter.org is dedicated to helping people sleep better. Designed as an online resource, the website creates a forum for visitors to define, discuss and discover solutions to fit their particular sleep needs. SleepBetter.org’s quest is to continually gather pertinent sleep information, then share this knowledge with the general public. The site also shares tips on the best sleep-related products, both in stores and online. SleepBetter.org has created the SleepBetter seal as a way to easily identify products recommended for their superior quality or scientifically based design. For more information, please visit www.SleepBetter.org.