Fellow moms, have you ever wished for more than 24 hours in a day?
From juggling work, family, hobbies, and social lives, we often find ourselves spread thin. As such, one of the most important things we neglect amidst all our responsibilities is self-care and getting better sleep.
Getting better sleep can help you feel more refreshed, be more productive, improve your mood—the list goes on!
But how exactly do you get good sleep as a busy mom?
Great question, that’s exactly what we’ll be trying to list down and help you out with!
Ladies, here are some ways you can get your beauty sleep.
1) Make your bedroom a sleep-only space
If you’re using your bedroom as both a storage space for clothes and a working desk, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that you sleep poorly.
In order to establish the right kind of environment to sleep well, make sure that your bedroom is an actual “bedroom”, where no computer or work-related tasks can distract you from getting a good night’s rest.
These distractions can lead your mind to wander off or concern yourself with tomorrow’s tasks, forcing you to stay awake instead of giving you the quality sleep you deserve.
Thus, it’s best to try to switch things up and make your room a sacred, sleep-only zone. One way of doing this is by finding the right tools to help you sleep soundly, like a CPAP machine.
2) Turn off electronics and devices before bedtime
We can’t blame you, most of us can’t go a day without craving our beloved gadgets.
But did you know that the blue light it emits can actually impede proper sleep?
Studies have found that the blue light from our devices has an inhibitory effect on melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy.
This prolongs the time it takes for one to fall asleep, which results in fewer hours of quality sleep overall.
If you’re struggling with sleeplessness because of the blue light from electronics, consider investing in a pair of blue-light blocking glasses. An alternative is apps that reduce the strength of blue light from screens like f.lux and Twilight.
This way, you can trick your body into getting drowsier when night time comes around, especially when you can’t help getting your last-minute smartphone fix.
3) Create a nighttime routine to help you wind down for the night
Humans are creatures of habit, and it’s important that we keep our body clock in check. This means creating a nightly routine that’ll allow your mind and body to naturally prepare for bedtime.
This is also perfect if you’re struggling with sleeping problems like waking up in the middle of the night or insomnia.
What’s a nighttime routine, you may ask. Well, it can be anything from taking a shower, reading a book, drinking some non caffeinated drink, listening to quiet music for a few minutes each night—you choose!
The main point of creating a schedule is that it helps you get out of your current state and instead allot time into helping you actually get some shut-eye.
4) Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends
Sure you can hit that snooze button just this once. And perhaps it’s okay to sleep in until noon every now and then because you deserve a break.
But keep in mind that if you don’t establish a routine for waking up, your body will never know when it should actually expect to open your eyes.
This will result in you feeling groggy the next day, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before. You can avoid this by setting an alarm for the same time every morning and sticking to it, no matter what day or occasion it is.
5) Avoid eating too late at night, especially spicy foods or anything with caffeine
If you have the habit of having dinner at 10 pm or midnight, then chances are that you aren’t getting the quality sleep you’re looking for.
One reason for this is because your body’s digestive process is still sending signals to your brain while you’re sleeping. This active digestive system disrupts your ability to fall into a deep sleep earlier, causing restlessness and you feeling groggy and bloated in the morning.
On top of that, you may also run the risk of gaining excess weight and developing a higher blood sugar level. This can cause chronic disease down the line, so it’s best to cut off eating late entirely for your health’s sake.
6. Put on soft music or white noise when falling asleep
Moms, do thoughts race through your head every time you try getting some shut-eye?
Perhaps you worry about everything that needs to be done during the next day?
It happens. And while there’s no surefire way of stopping yourself from worrying about certain things, you should still do your best to relax before hitting the hay.
And what better way than playing some soothing tunes? Studies show that white noise reduces the time it takes some people to sleep by 40%. This is because white noise creates a masking effect, where our brain cannot process any other sounds. This means that outside noises are blocked out, giving you the uninterrupted moment of rest you need.
This is especially helpful for light sleepers since our hearing is still highly active even while we’re dozing off.
Aside from white noise, any type of lulling music works well too as long as it does the job.
That’s all there is to it! Of course, there are other ways on how you can also improve the quality of your sleep every night, but for a start, these 6 tips can help you get started. Sleep tight, ladies!
Your recommendations are very timely for my family, Thank you!