Mamahood

Sleep…Plain and Simple…

This year I am determined to make an old resolution a new one—and commit to it. Get more sleep. Sounds ridiculous especially when there are two small kids in the house whom I would never label “great sleepers.”

What I’ve realized is in order to achieve all the other resolutions I come up with such as, getting to the gym more, being more this, doing more of that, I must first focus on getting a good night’s sleep. When you sleep, everything recharges, your brain functions at an optimum, and then you can do more. We shouldn’t scrimp on something so important.

I can get away with a lot by saying I have “mommy brain.”  The fact is I do, terribly, and its cute and all to say it but truth be told, I don’t want it anymore. I want to be switched on and fully recharged and not running on empty. I want to be able to process and retain new information that is coming at me. Geez, if only I could retain half the information thrown at me on a daily basis!!!!! And my “mommy brain” has a lot to do with sleep I’m not getting.

Let me list off just a few of the benefits you get from sleep:

Do I need to go on? That list alone is everything I need in my life that I feel are my main issues.

So, what can we do to promote sleep? Here’s a start:

• Your kids have their bedtime routine; you need a relaxing one as well. It will help your brain click into it’s-time-to-go-to-sleep mode. Have your own set rituals.
• Try Valerian tea before bedtime. Valerian root is a natural and herbal sleep aid. You can also take it in the pill form, which is over the counter. Or a good ole cup of Chamomile could do the trick.
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine too close to bedtime.
• Vigorous exercise can help promote a good night’s sleep.
• Avoid taking long naps during the day. Nothing longer than 20 minutes. Wish I could be so lucky to grab a nap during the day. :/
• Try not to eat large meals before bed and stay away from dessert. Don’t forget that chocolate has caffeine.
• Turn your phone off at night. Don’t get sucked into the iPhone vortex of checking your email and start reading the news. Reading about the state of our world will definitely keep you up at night. But the unnatural blue light off your eReader, laptop, smartphone, or certain TVs can have an impact on sleep cycles.
• But you know something that would be really helpful? If your kids would sleep through the night 😉 The fact is I’m a much lighter sleeper now that I have children. The slightest noise will wake me now. It’s the cross we bear.

We’ve heard it all before, or at least I have but it’s all a great reminder. I’ll be working on this in 2017 and will keep you up to date with any new findings.

How’s your sleep? Or if you’ve had sleep disorders what have you done to overcome them?

Emma xx

self-careshopSleepsleep issues