7 Sleep Habits of a Semi-Effective Mother

Why is it so bright in here... it's supposed to be 2:30 am!

Sleeping: We all need more of it.

The only person I know that gets too much sleep, is Dan. Seriously, he started complaining that he was waking up at 4am for an hour or two.  I suggested going to bed at 9:30 instead of 8:30?  Solved the issue. Too much sleep... until I went back to smothering him at 4am with my pillow. Ha ha, just kidding... or am I?




I had sleep issues before dogs, pregnancies, and kids. I have a tried and true system in place to help some common issues.

Can't fall asleep:

1. At least one hour before bed, no phones, no ipads, no TV. Sure there is science behind it, but really if you don't stop now playing candy crush, you might just make it to the next level and then you can't stop. Don't check your facebook, twitter, instagram, or other social media right before bed. Something is going to set you off.  Either it's a photo someone posted that made you angry, or the political rant the hypocrite of the group decided to go off on (Tip: stop following that guy!), it's always something. Turn off the TV, there are much better things to do before bed.

2. Brain dump. I will lay in bed for hours thinking about my to do list, also replaying certain events in my head, or getting totally fired up again over that work email, that I am sure was directed at me. So I started a brain dump. I keep a journal next my bed and when I need to, I write down everything that pops into my head: events, rants, prayers, everything. I have actually been doing this for years and have a log of everything from the first twinge of wanting a baby, through pregnancy, the newborn months with multiple daily entries, and all of the milestones from the last year.  Someday it will be an amazing journal for Kenzie to read. If you start to do this, I recommend ending on a good note. I always say thank you for everything I am grateful for, and when I put the journal down, and shut off the light, that is what I concentrate on when I fall asleep.

3. Read a book, do a crossword, Sudoku, or something without extra light. I love reading so I have to read sparingly. I could get sucked into a book, even a nonfiction, and end up reading hours after I should be sleeping. So, I bought a Sudoku book at the grocery store and I work on a puzzle before bed. Not an extreme or hard one, because I would probably end up working on that until completion... just a medium one. The main thing is to not have extra light, like from a kindle fire or the other ones with back lighting. You could also read a very boring book. Dan reads the classics before bed. Hence the 8:30 bedtime.

I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep:

4. First do all the normal things, like use the bathroom and get a drink of water. Now when you lay back down try and meditate. Just clear your mind of every thought. Do not think. It's hard... but it's the only way you will get yourself back to sleep. Most of all DO NOT LOOK AT YOUR PHONE. That light will wake you up even more.

5. It helps to know that this is perfectly natural. Back before electricity people would go to sleep with the sunset. There would be a wake time in the middle of the night, I will let you guess how they filled that time. That's probably one reason why everyone had an abundance of kids.

6. Adult sleep cycles are 90 minutes long. Sometimes it helps to have an end point. This is especially true with babies, whose sleep and wake cycles are only 45 minutes long. When I wanted so desperately to fall asleep but she was awake, I would count down the minutes, and sure enough, back asleep. If you have just woken up and looked at the clock, this tip doesn't work, but if you have been up for a while just know, it won't last.

I wake up super early and can't fall back asleep:

7. I haven't solved this one yet. I usually try and get things done when this happens. Like if I wake up at 6am and know Kenzie won't be up until 7am, I take a shower, or check my facebook, maybe write a blog post. Instead of getting upset about it, I just try and make the best of an hour or two of quiet alone time.

Of course there are tons of Rx and over the counter medications you can take. These are helpful tips for those of us pregnant, or breast feeding, that can't medicate with a proper glass of bedtime wine.