"The average American gains about half a pound to one pound over the holiday season. That might not sound much, but the problem is, they never lose that pound. So five years later they could end up gaining five pounds," said Evelyn Fang, family doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics.

But if you bulk at the idea of extra balk, it's not too late. Fang recommends that we don't overdo ourselves because festivals are a regular occurrence. Overeating, not sleeping well and doing no exercise for three holidays in a row is too much for the body.

"If they are not feeling well, people should probably cancel their celebration plans for the New Year and let their body heal."

Ideally, Fang says, people should steer clear from the booze, because alcohol affects concentration and judgement.

"Although it makes people feel better at first, alcohol actually makes you feel agitated in the long term, which might make it harder to fall asleep."

The doctor advises doing some exercise at least three times a week, with each period of exercise lasting more than 15 minutes. Make sure you eat some vegetables and fruits before you eat a regular meal, so that you don't eat too much.

"Listen to your body," suggests the doctor. "Everybody knows how much they can drink. If you feel bad, then you know it's time to stop."

On the other hand, it is a good time to meet friends and expand your contacts.

Xu Wenbing, traditional Chinese medicine doctor based in Beijing, thinks there are two ways to recover from Christmas fatigue.

"On the one hand, people need time to digest all the food they have eaten, and discharge of any foods that might remain in their body. On the other, if they stayed up too late or drank too much over the holidays, they probably need to replenish the yin factor," said the doctor.

To boost digestion, eat grilled steamed bread and drink black tea. Drinking something bitter has the same effect.

To replenish the yin factor, drink something sweet and sour, such as black plum juice, which is available in supermarkets, or Chinese medicine stores. Boil the black plum with rock sugar to make a soup.

An alternative is to put dried lily bulbs into rice congee and boiling it up until soft. Drinking the congee can help dispel excessive heat and replenish the yin factor in the body.