Any mom will understand how difficult it can be to find time for herself. Between taking care of your kids and everything else that goes on in the household, it’s easy to feel like you are being pulled in too many directions. You’ll be wanting to keep the house tidy and safe, and the kids happy and under control.
One area that often gets neglected is sleep. It’s really important for both our mental and physical health. In this blog post, we will discuss 6 ways moms can make more time for sleeping.
- Create The Right Environment
In order to get quality sleep, it’s vital that you begin with your bedroom. Make it restful and inviting so that you can escape there whenever you have a suitable opportunity. Make sure your room is dark and quiet when you need to rest. It will need to be properly ventilated so that the air isn’t too stuffy or stagnant.
A good tip would be to invest in blackout curtains if the sunlight keeps waking you up early in the morning or disturbs your rest during daytime naps. Close the doors or windows if there is too much noise outside of your room, such as people shouting or loud traffic passing by. Try to keep your bedroom free of clutter so that it feels more tidy, organized and spacious.
You should also ensure that your mattress, pillows and blankets are of high quality so that you feel comfortable and supported. If it’s time you bought a new bed, the internet can help you. Visitors to https://puffy.com/blogs/best-sleep/mattress-size-and-dimensions-guide show that people want to choose the bed sizes online, whether they are twin, twin XL, full, queen, king or California king. They also want to see product photos and prices before they purchase.
- Remove Distractions
Distractions are common for mothers when their children require their attention day and night. Having said that, there are some that you can do something about. If you keep your smartphone by your bed, turn off the notifications and make it silent (except for emergency numbers such as elderly parents). Only check your messages when you are in between tasks like cooking, doing laundry etc. rather than when you have the opportunity to sleep.
Turn off things like television sets and computers in your bedroom when it’s bedtime; otherwise, you may end up binge-watching a Netflix series or being distracted by social media on your laptop. Blue light-emitting screens (from smartphones, TVs, computers, tablets and laptops) emit a bright blue color that stimulates your brain and disturbs peoples’ sleep rhythms.
- Have Disciplined BedTimes
If your children are old enough, give them set bedtimes to ensure they have sufficient rest. This will help them know when they need to start winding down and laying their heads on the pillow. If children do not have consistent bedtimes, it may lead them to be unable to fall asleep at night or wake up too early in the morning. In time they will end up sleep-deprived and grouchy.
Routines provide healthy boundaries for children – they feel insecure without them. Remember: the sooner they are asleep the sooner you can do the same! It’s important for you (and your partner if applicable) to be disciplined about bedtimes too.
- Share The Load
It is easy to feel like you are the only one who can do it all. If you apply this philosophy you will end up grumpy, unwell and burned out. Delegate as many tasks as possible to your partner and friends (or hire someone else). Your partner was jointly responsible for bringing your kids into the world, so they must share the responsibilities and let you have a nap when required.
You may also have parents or friends who would be willing to come round for a couple of hours to help out or entertain the kids. They may even remove them from the house for a couple of hours so you can get some quality sleep.
Practical Ideas
Don’t cook every night – make enough for leftovers or delegate the meal prep responsibilities to others in the household. Get groceries delivered at least once a week so that you don’t have bags of food weighing down on your arms while pushing an almost sleeping infant around in their stroller. Get some professional house cleaning assistance weekly if you can afford it.
- Have Power Naps
If you find that your lack of sleep is affecting you, power naps are a great way to catch up on some rest. Whilst it’s only a quick nap, it can make all the difference. If you have an infant that falls asleep during nursing, put him down right after this so you can get some rest too. You can also do this with older children who fall asleep in their car seats or strollers.
You can also try putting your baby in a swing or bouncer where he will be kept safely asleep – but don’t keep him there for too long. If your baby is asleep in his bedroom, have a baby monitor on so that you can hear him from your bedroom while you take a nap.
- Give Yourself Permission!
It seems like there are never enough hours in the day for a mom. Even when you’re not working or attending full-time education, the chances are that you’re still finding ways to fill each hour with responsibilities that need completing. They may be anything from cooking dinner, doing laundry, cleaning house…the list goes on. Many moms say, “I’m so exhausted, but I really do have to get all of these important jobs done!” It’s so easy for mothers to feel guilty about spending time sleeping. The reality is that sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s essential! Don’t experience a sense of false guilt over taking some “me time.”
Allow yourself the gift of rest every day by making an effort to prioritize your health and well-being. You deserve it! In turn, you will be able to give your very best to your family both now and during the years ahead.