Oh beautiful sleep, I miss you dearly.
I have been sleep deprived since...oh, my first child was born, 2 1/2 years ago. And lets not forget my kids are ELEVEN MONTHS apart meaning I really haven't gotten a break. I even had some post partum depression for 6 months after Ella was born due to lack of sleep.
Sleep is vital and one of the most basic necessities. More sleep means lower stress (big one for me), improved memory, live longer, healthy weight (a huge plus!), and it's the omega 3, vitamin D, and antioxidants all wrapped up into one cozy package. We all know how cranky the kids get if they miss a nap. I don't mess with their sleep schedules or else I'll be dealing with two never ending tantrums. When we lack sleep, our immune system shuts down, we become forgetful, we're low on energy, and I know I'm on the edge of throwing a tantrum myself!
I'm guilty of staying up late, doing absolutely nothing. I put the kids to bed no later then 7:30 and I usually don't go to bed until 11 pm and right when I lay down, without fail, Ella wakes up. If I don't get her right away, then Lincoln wakes up. On average I have to get out of bed 2-3 times a night. (These past 3 weeks have been worse because of the kids being sick and teething). I've accepted the fact that I'm probably never going to sleep through the night because I'm a mom and this truly is a 24 hour job. To be honest I love it. I love knowing that I am the one that brings comfort to my children when they aren't feeling well, even if it is in the middle of the night. There's just a few things I could do differently, or sacrifice some of my very coveted free time at night so that I can get the rest I need.
So lets do this.
I've come up with a few personal goals to help me catch up on those Zs.
- eat well balanced meals throughout the day. (This has been proven to help with sleep).
- turn off all screens (TV, phone, computer) at least 1 hour before bed. For me this will be 9 pm.
- no sweets or other stimulates after 5 pm. (also proven to help)
- small snack before bed (Mama Natural suggested warm milk with honey and a dash of salt, but we'll see about that one).
- have a strict cut off time to start my night time routine. I'll make it 9 pm. (I think this is important and will help a lot).
- I bought a Book of Mormon study guide I'm excited about so I think I'll add that to my night time routine.
- my goal is to have the lights off and in bed by 9:30 (it takes me awhile to actually fall asleep).
So, I know 10 pm isn't that early to be going to sleep but I want to make small changes so that I don't get discouraged. Hopefully some the things I listed above will at least help me to relax and sleep quicker.
This post might sound silly; Sleep, REALLY!?! But yes, I do believe sleep will help me be a better mom and a happier person over all (and help with those dark circles under my eyes).
Ahhh! It's 8:45 right now so I only have a few minutes left before I start counting those sheep!
Good night!
1 comment:
Good luck! I certainly know how important sleep is and I am a much better person and a more productive mom when I get as much sleep as I can. I'm usually in bed by 11 as well and wake up once a night with Max and then am up at 6 or 7am with him. My goal is to start getting ready for bed by 9:30, be reading my scriptures and a book by 10pm and be in bed by 10:30. I know that's not much earlier, but I hope to work my way up to being asleep by ten as well. It also takes me forever to fall asleep (like 1-2 hours!). So I feel ya!
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