Last November my husband I were fortunate enough to go on a much needed vacation. For a whole eight days…by ourselves…to Hawaii. IT.WAS.AMAZING! The best part of the whole trip was the sleep! But it was also the worst part because it made me realize what it felt like to be well rested again. I had lost all knowledge of a long peaceful night sleep ever since my four year old son was born, as is the case with most parents, I’m sure. Yes, he was sleeping through the night by the time he was one and my two year old has been sleeping a solid 10-12 hours for over the past year, but my body was still just not letting me rest. I think as moms we just get this built in light sleeping mechanism in case they need us at any moment. For us, that means less sleep and a groggy mommy ALL.THE.TIME. It’s no joke! And our poor kids and spouses suffer too. Less sleep means less patience and maybe not so great peaceful days either. We see how our kids behave on less sleep or when it’s that witching hour right before bedtime. We probably act that way too, in our own grown up version. Not good! So, ever since Hawaii I have been a quest to keep that feeling alive. You know, the feeling of actually feeling alive and not a dead zombie.
Here are a few things that have helped me sleep longer, less restless, and have deeper sleeping nights:
- Lavender oil knocks me right out and the hubby doesn’t mind the sweet scent either.
- Eye mask in case your kid(s) actually decide to wake up after the sun.
- Eye mask with lavender in it. I haven’t tried this one, but sounds fantastic and why not kill two birds with one stone.
- Earplugs. I rely on the hubby to have night duty. They help drown out all the adorable sleeping kid noises that we somehow still hear no matter how far away the room is and the snoring hubby (shhh…don’t tell him I said that).
- Read in bed. Turn off the TV and put your phone down! It’s known that screens of any kind hinder the minds ability to shut down thus hindering your body to fully relax, taking more time for you to fall asleep. Here are some books about sleeping that may even help you fall asleep while reading in bed. I love multi-tasking!
- Listen to an audiobook/podcast with some headphones. It’ll clear your mind and instantly relax you. Check out Brian Johnson’s Philosopher’s Notes. Basically he reads a ton of books and then summarizes the big ideas from each in about 24-28 minutes podcasts using quotes and explanations. Then if you really like one, you can go check out the actual book. He’s done hundreds of them and since us moms don’t have tons of time to read, it’s a great way to get the main ideas from a lot of different bestselling books. He is very inspirational focusing on happiness, success, business, mind, etcetera. What could be a better then to fall asleep feeling inspired and happy? Sure helps me rest comfortably.
- Eating a healthy diet and exercise. This is a whole new topic in itself, so check out our other posts for eating and exercise tips and stayed tuned for more info to come.
- A good mattress. This is the mattress we own and love. As a couple, the more room the better. I like my sleeping space and I never want to get out!
Hopefully these few little easy things can help improve your nights like they did for me and you can feel rejuvenated again. Aside from just feeling so great, here is a link on better sleep with a lot of useful information on why sleep is just as important as diet and exercise. It also provides more tips, sleep quizzes, information about children and sleep, and the importance of a good mattress.
Sweet dreams! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz….
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