Sleep Solutions for Busy Moms

11 Critical Reasons Moms Must Prioritize Their Sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in your physical and mental health.
While you sleep, the brain processes memories, regulates emotions, and cleans out anxiety and depression causing toxins.
Sleep is also the body’s time to heal and restore itself.

Moms can have a difficult time getting their 7-8 hours of needed sleep nightly.
Yet, when moms prioritize healthy sleep habits, they are found to benefit in their relationships, concentration, motivation, and their ability to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.


Obstacles to mom getting good night sleep:

1. Caregiving responsibilities
2. Emotional exhaustion
3. Lack of alone-time
4. Work -related stress
5. Pets in the room

Benefits to getting a great night’s sleep:

1. Stress Reduction
2. Regulates production of serotonin and dopamine, which are critical for mood regulation
3. Increased feelings of happiness
4. Improved cognitive function 
5. Better physical health
6. Memory consolidation and improved learning
7. Increased energy levels
8. Improved mental health
9. Enhanced creativity
10. Regulates hormones related to hunger and appetite
11. Ability to respond to unexpected challenges and changes

The ways lack of sleep can affect moms:

For this article, I have been just listing and not really going into detail with each obstacle, benefit, etc.
I wanted to do this with the disadvantages as well, however, one is not as well known.
I knew sleep disturbed the brain and put you at higher risk for chronic illness.

What I didn’t realize, and this is newer information, so other studies may come out for it:

Adults who have trouble sleeping or every use sleep medications have a 23% great chance of developing dementia or Alzheimers disease than those who sleep for 7-8 hours a night.

This is a huge freaking deal!
So, I wanted to give a full explanation rather than just have it listed.

1. Increased stress levels
2. Heightened risk of mental disorders like depression and anxiety
3. Poor cognitive function making it difficult to perform daily tasks
4. Impairs impulse control and decision making skills
5. Suppression of immune system
6. Poor relationships due to irritability, miscommunication, and emotional outbursts

11 Sleep Solutions to prepare yourself to have a fabulous night’s sleep:

I went into a lot of detail on these when I talked about the importance of your child getting a good night’s sleep.
If you want more details, check that out!

1. Establish a consistent sleep schedule (same time each night).

2. Create a bedtime routine. If reading is part of your bedtime routine and you are looking for a great new book, I am an avid reader and have a link to my book recommendations!
   
   

   I am an avid reader. I have been "collecting" titles of FABULOUS and FUN Books for years.

   
   In this list I share:
   

   • 30+ Books
   • I have read EACH and EVERY book
   • What I think of each book
   • Each one leads itself to great discussion
   • Different genres and audiences
   • They do all link to Amazon- if you buy...Amazon will send me a very small "thank you."

   Get Book Club recommendations!

   

   30 + Books
   Great for discussion
   Description for each
   Different Genres
   I have read EACH one!
   
   
   
   
3. Optimize your sleeping environment.

• Dark
• Quiet
• Cool
• Comfortable, supportive mattress
• Clutter-free space

4. Try acupressure.
If you find sleep alludes you, another way you can prepare your body to fall asleep at night is acupressure.
Acupressure is an ancient healing technique that involves applying pressure (not needles) to specific points on the body.

5. Scented bath.

6. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps your body to feel tired at the end of the day. Avoid vigorous exercises towards the end of the evening, a walk would be a great choice instead.

7. Set your natural clock. You can help set your circadian rhythm. When you view sunlight, not through a window or windshield, within the first hour of waking and at sunset, you help synchronize your internal clock to a 24 hour day/night cycle.

8. Try to take your morning java outside for 10 the first 10 minutes of your morning.

9. Manage stress. Easier said than done, however, when you are worried, you release cortisol, which does not allow you to rest easily. Ways to manage your stress:

• Dance
• Yoga
• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Music
• Laughter
• Positive thinking/journaling
• Mindfulness
• Stretching

10. Cognitive Shuffling I just recently discovered this and I LOVE it!
This is if you are having trouble falling asleep, or if you wake up in the night and cannot go back to sleep.
Usually, this happens because our minds start cycling on all of the “must do’s” or “need to do’s” the following day.
You need something “sticky” for your mind to grasp onto.
However, it needs to be dull enough that it will not keep you awake.
Counting sheep…too boring, your mind will just drift.

With Cognitive Shuffling, you come up with a 4-5 letter word.
Preferably one that does not have repeat letters.
Then you start with the first letter of that word.
Next, you think of all of the words you can that start with that letter.
Example: STAMP.
“S”
So, Sew, Sap, Scar, Silly, Sustain, Still, Start, Save, etc.

You do this as long as you can for each letter.
It is even better, if for each word, you picture it or a symbol of it in your head.
Once you finish all the words you can think of for “S,” you move onto “T.”

I have done this often enough that I am now simply moving through the alphabet.
I am on “B’s” and have been on “A” or “B” for two weeks.
I have a system.
I try to think of all of the Ba_ words.
Then Be_, Bi_, etc.
I next go to common four letter “B” words with common endings, like “nd” “rd” “st” etc.
And I work my way up to bigger words.
Usually, I am able to fall back asleep very quickly.

This is the only method that has worked for me-including a round of various medications-none of those worked.

I am thrilled to be sleep med free.
Cognitive Shuffling-it totally works, give it a try!

11. AVOID these at all costs if you want to sleep well:

1. Large meal
2. Exposure to screens
3. Heavy, fried, or greasy foods
4. Alcohol
5. Caffeine
6. Carbonated beverages
7. Acidic foods
8. Cut off all foods 2-3 hours before bed

Moms can better navigate the demands of motherhood if they have had a good night’s sleep.

By following these 11 suggestions, you can wake up feeling refreshed, revitalized, and ready to take on the challenges of the day!

Almost as importantly, your “patience fuel tank” is at full when you give your mind and body the necessary downtime it craves and needs.

“Look, Donkey! I can’t make it any more clearer. I need to sleep now.”
~Puss in Boots in Shrek 2