Getting a good night’s sleep can be a little more challenging amid the hype of the holidays.

With changes in routine, diet and potentially time zones, quality sleep could be difficult to come by.

Around 42% of U.S. adults struggle with sleep issues during the holiday season, according to a CNET survey.

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More than half of millennials and Gen Zers said their sleep quality was impacted significantly over the holidays, the survey found.

Dr. Brian Licuanan, a board-certified clinical psychologist in California, told Fox News Digital that there are a variety of reasons sleep can be disrupted, including medical and mental health conditions, diet, alcohol intake and other lifestyle behaviors, like screen exposure.

Spending the holidays in someone else’s home or experiencing a change in a normal wake/sleep routine can also impact sleep quality, he said.

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Licuanan, author of “How to Get Your Resisting Loved One Into Treatment,” offered the following five tips on how to improve sleep during the holiday season.

1. Prepare to sleep away from home

Especially for those who are traveling across time zones, sleep schedules will most likely take a hit.

“Try to adjust accordingly,” the expert suggested. “If you’re in a time zone ahead of your usual one, consider going to bed earlier, since you may feel sleepy sooner.” 

One expert suggested bringing earplugs or a sleep mask when sleeping away from home. (iStock )

“If you’re in a time zone behind your usual one, try delaying your bedtime to allow your body to build up enough sleepiness.”

If you’re staying as a guest in someone’s home or at a hotel, it might be helpful to bring some tools to help ensure a good night’s sleep.

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This could include earplugs or eye masks, Licuanan said, which are “good ways to replicate the quiet and darkness that you may have in your home.”

2. Be mindful of changes in diet, alcohol and exercise

As many people may eat and drink more than usual during the holidays, Licuanan advised being mindful of the amount of consumption.

Exercise routines are likely to shift during this time as well.

“[Alcohol] could impair certain stages of sleep, causing you to feel groggy and tired the following day,” the expert said. (iStock)

“[Alcohol] could impair certain stages of sleep, causing you to feel groggy and tired the following day,” he said.

“Carve out time for exercise and healthy eating habits, as that will help you relax and promote better sleep.”

3. Stay organized

Keeping organized during the busy holiday season can help prevent the mind from racing before bed, according to Licuanan.

He recommended making a list of items or tasks that need to be done the next day to organize your thoughts.

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“Writing things down can help you feel more relaxed and take out the extra and unnecessary thoughts that can disrupt your sleep,” Licuanan said.

Staying on top of what needs to be done can promote better sleep, experts say. (iStock)

4. Communicate with your partner

Balancing relationships over the holidays can also cause unwanted stress and sleep disruption.

To prevent unnecessary hiccups, Licuanan encouraged having an open dialogue with your partner about holiday expectations.

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“Divvy up responsibilities, so one person is not overwhelmed with things to do,” he advised.

“Such activities can include buying groceries, wrapping gifts, picking up family members at the airport or providing entertainment for guests.”

Dividing responsibilities between partners can prevent overwhelming one person and promote more restful sleep. (iStock)

5. Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques

While the holidays can be filled with potential stressors, Licuanan suggested practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques to fuel good sleep later.

“Continual social gatherings, travel and spontaneous activities can all heighten stress levels,” he said. 

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“Managing the levels of stress with mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help ensure that you are relaxed physically and mentally in order to better accomplish good, relaxed sleep.”

Licuanan encouraged all holiday celebrants to stay positive, have fun and try to enjoy the season.

“Though the holidays may present a level of stress, it’s important to remember things such as gratitude and the positive things in life, as a positive mindset can lower stress, which will likely improve sleep quality,” he added.

Renowned visionary English physician William Harvey wrote in 1651 about how our blood contains all the secrets of life.

“And so I conclude that blood lives and is nourished of itself and in no way depends on any other part of the body as being prior to it or more excellent,” he wrote. “So that from this we may perceive the causes not only of life in general … but also of longer or shorter life, of sleeping and waking, of skill, of strength and so forth.”

Dr. Kevin Watt, team leader of the Heart Regeneration and Disease Laboratory at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne, Australia, understands this concept deeply. 

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He lives it every day, as he and his fellow researchers study and reprogram the potential of the blood to treat disease, specifically heart failure in children. 

Building on the work of Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, who discovered that specialized cells could be reprogrammed back to immature stem cells, Watt and his collaborators have taken this work several steps further. 

They have used small molecules to turn these new stem cells from the blood into heart cells.

Small heart organoids are developed in the lab — which can then be injected into the failing hearts of children. 

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Relying on the philanthropic support of the Murdoch Institute, the work is progressing rapidly and has been shown to be effective already in mice, pigs and sheep.

“The vision of our research is to develop new therapies that can transform the lives of children with heart failure.”

Clinical trials in humans will be starting soon, and as Dr. Watt told me in an interview from Australia, “Large sheets of heart tissue will be stitched into the failing heart.” 

Congenital heart failure as well as side effects of chemotherapy in children will be targets for this miracle therapy. Millions of children around the world suffer daily from these conditions. 

Researchers at MCRI are studying and reprogramming the potential of the blood to treat disease, specifically heart failure in children.  (MCRI)

Watt said that certain chemotherapy (anthracyclines) have a higher risk of heart failure – up to 15% of the time – and this treatment may be useful to protect the heart.

Watt said, “Heart failure remains an urgent, unmet clinical challenge across the world. While we have made significant advances over several decades in managing the disease, we lack targeted therapies to treat these devastating conditions.”

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He added, “More than 500,000 children around the world live with advanced heart failure that requires transplantation. The vision of our research is to develop new therapies that can transform the lives of children with heart failure.”

“More than 500,000 children around the world live with advanced heart failure that requires transplantation. The vision of our research is to develop new therapies that can transform the lives of children with heart failure.” (iStock)

To achieve this, he said, “we use a technology called induced pluripotent stem cells, where we can convert blood or skin cells of patients with heart failure into stem cells that we then turn into heart cells … or even make engineered heart tissues that can be stitched onto the patient’s heart to help it pump.” 

The cells that are targeted in the blood are known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). 

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They are “pushed back in time to an earlier time before they became differentiated into heart or kidney cells,” he said. 

Then they can be pushed forward to become healthy heart cells or mutations — or other abnormalities can be corrected.

While the team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is making heart cells from stem cells in the blood for clinical use, it’s also using these stem cells to figure out new drugs to treat heart failure directly.  

The team at MCRI in Melbourne (shown above) is pioneering “methods to turn stem cells into miniature heart tissues.” (MCRI)

Said Watt, “Using stem cells from patients with heart failure caused by chemo, we are actively developing new drugs and cell-based treatments that we believe will transform the lives of patients with these conditions … Our research group has pioneered methods to turn these stem cells into miniature heart tissues that can be used to model disease-in-a-dish, to identify new drug targets for the development of new therapies.”

These treatments are personalized and highly expensive, but they’re also highly effective. 

“Using stem cells from patients with heart failure caused by chemo, we are actively developing new drugs and cell-based treatments that we believe will transform the lives of patients with these conditions.” (MCRI)

Correcting heart failure in young children is only a few years away from becoming a reality. 

It’s a Christmas miracle that relies on the kind of philanthropic support that MCRI is famous for arranging.

“Philanthropic support plays a critical role in accelerating the development of these new, transformative treatments,” said Watt, “and this support will be essential as we work toward bringing stem cell-based precision therapies for heart failure to every child who needs it.” 

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Visit go.fox/MCRI to donate or to learn more about MCRI’s important research.

The first human case of H5N1, more commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu, has been confirmed in Los Angeles County in California, in connection with an adult who was exposed to livestock.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the person who contracted bird flu had mild symptoms, was treated with antivirals and is now recovering at home.

While this is the first human case in the county, the public health department said the overall risk of H5 bird flu to the public remains low, adding that there is currently no evidence of person-to-person spread of the virus.

Still, those who are in close contact with the infected person, as well as other workers at the worksite, are being monitored for symptoms and have been offered testing, antiviral prophylaxis and personal protective equipment.

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The case is part of an ongoing investigation which involves the county public health department, the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“People rarely get bird flu, but those who interact​ with infected livestock or wildlife ​have a greater risk of infection. This case reminds us to take basic precautions to prevent being exposed,” LA County health officer Muntu Davis said. “People should avoid unprotected contact with sick or dead animals including cows, poultry, and wild birds; avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products, such as raw milk; and protect pets and backyard poultry from exposure to wild animals.”

Davis also encouraged the public to get the seasonal flu vaccine, which he said can help prevent severe seasonal flu illness and lower the risk of getting seasonal and bird flu infections at the same time if exposed.

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Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in MDCK cells (seen in green).  (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Bird flu symptoms in humans include eye redness or discharge, fever, cough or difficulty breathing, sore throat, muscle aches, diarrhea and vomiting.

The news comes just days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to bird flu.

Newsom issued the state of emergency after an outbreak of the virus occurred among dairy cows in Southern California farms.

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At least two farm workers have been infected with H5N1 bird flu this year. (iStock)

After initially being reported in Texas and Kansas in March, bird flu has been confirmed in cattle across 16 U.S. states, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement. 

Also, last week, the first case of severe bird flu was confirmed in a human patient in Louisiana, according to the CDC.

The health agency maintains that “the current public health risk is low,” but said it is “watching the situation carefully.”

Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.