“Hello baby, goodbye sleep!”
We’ve all heard that saying about sleep, right? It often feels like we moms are living our lives in a coffee-fueled fog, holding out until nap time or bedtime or both. The level of exhaustion we never thought possible before having a baby is completely indescribable. Unfortunately, word on the street is that the nights up with kiddos turn into nights up worrying about them . . . at least until they graduate high school (or is it college?!). Either way, the LAST thing any of us need is to be up all night tossing and turning on our mattress, wishing for sleep. We read blogs, research sleep training, and scour the inter webs for sleep tips to help! Let’s face it, we’re tired!
With work to get done and other priorities at night after the kiddos are down, my bedtime tends to get pushed later and later. Since every day is a challenge of juggling work, my three children, and everything else, living as a walking “mombie” doesn’t work at our house. When my head hits the pillow, I need some SLEEP.
After bringing home three babies, I have pretty much mastered the art of capitalizing on any and all opportunities to get some quality rest whenever I can.
So, since I now fancy myself to be a bit of a mom sleep expert, I’d like to present my Top 5 Sleep Tips for the Sleep Deprived Mom:
5: Sleep when your baby sleeps
This one was hard for me. I used to joke that I would sleep when the baby slept, and do laundry when the baby did laundry. Seriously though, when my babies were sleeping, there always seemed to be so many other things that needed to be done! Cooking, cleaning, or maybe taking a shower, anyone? When I started napping when the baby napped, I made up for some of the sleep I was missing during the night.
4: Go to bed early
This can be a challenge, especially during the summer when the sun doesn’t go down until way late! If I have a chance to sleep, I don’t care what time it is, or where the sun is or isn’t in the sky. So, I invested in some black out curtains! Especially when we had babies in the house, I got all my work done early, pumped, and headed to bed at 8pm! I let my husband take the late shift and have his bonding time with the baby. This way I got more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep and the baby was bottle trained! Win-win!
3: Sleep in separate rooms
Anybody else totally confused by the phrase “sleep like a baby”? Babies are NOISY sleepers! My littlest one woke me up with every little noise he made. I would jump out of bed every 20 minutes to make sure he was breathing or he wasn’t too hot or cold. So, at two weeks old, I decided it was it was best for me to make use of the darling nursery we’d decorated, and move my son away from my bed. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but it was a life-saver for me.
2: Turn off all electronics before bed
Many people unwind at night with a little television or by mindlessly surfing social media. During late night feedings, I was in the habit of scrolling Instagram and Pinterest. What I didn’t know is that electronic use before bed suppresses your internal clock and can make it more difficult to fall asleep. Rather than the digital binge, I recommend checking out a book from the library (yes, a REAL book!) or pick out something from your local bookstore. Just keep those electronics off during the night!
1: Invest in a good mattress.
This one was a total game changer for me. When I was in the early stages of my pregnancy with my first, I couldn’t get a good night sleep to save my life. I would toss and turn all night and was so uncomfortable! So, we invested in a new mattress, and I can’t imagine my life without it. Finding the right mattress can be challenging, but our friends at Mattress Firm are here to help. Having a comfy mattress can make a huge difference in your sleep cycle!
The facts about sleep . . .
- A survey of 2,000 parents found that the average parent loses 1/3 of their nightly sleep after having a baby, decreasing from an average of 6 hours a night to just 4 hours.
- Men seem to get a lucky break (of course!), as 67% of female respondents said their partner got more sleep in that first year.
- Nearly half (48%) of all new parents say that loss of sleep is their number one challenge.
- Another study also revealed that in the first year of being a parent, 33% of survey respondents said they fell asleep at work, and another one in five (22%) were so tired they fell asleep while standing up. Wow!
One thing I do know for certain, is that the long nights don’t have to be sleepless, especially if you can make the most of the hours (or minutes) your head is on your pillow! So, find out which of these sleep tips works best for you and your family, be kind to yourself, and hang in there momma!
If our sleep tips have you ready for a better night sleep, and if you want to get yourself the BEST quality mattress out there, then CLICK HERE to start shopping! If you want to go test drive these fabulous mattresses, then CLICK HERE to find a store near you!
For more on how moms can get their best sleep, follow @MattressFirm and #WorkHardSleepHarder.
Share with us:: What are your sleep tips for all those tired mamas out there?
