As a young mother, sleep became my battle. My first child had colic. I didn’t sleep for 6 months.
Then, things sort of settled.
As my family grew, the kiddos had a structured schedule.
Bedtime was EARLY.
It was the only thing that kept my family moving.
The problem was, I did NOT have an early bedtime.
I was burning the midnight oil.
Then came another colic baby, and I remembered how precious sleep was to my body.
After that baby came, my last, kiddos 5 and 6 were like aliens–they did NOT need to sleep.
They fought me at nap time.
Bedtime became the longest-running battle.
Trust me. I was running on caffeine and refined sugar.
These days, my babies are all in the double digits.
We still have an early bedtime.
As the mom to many, I’m here to tell you to love those little ones.
They grow too fast.
Also, there are actually some techniques to help you get the best sleep possible.
There will be times you hit that REM-cycle hard, and there will be times you can only sneak in a ten-minute catnap.
It doesn’t matter; the techniques I’m going to share with you will amaze you.
First, we need to understand what goes on in our sleep.
Trust me; it’s more than the kiddos getting into things and leaving you saying, “I’m done!”
First of all, if you aren’t getting a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone.
A study done by Consumer Reports says that 68% of Americans struggle with sleep at least once a week.
That’s approximately 164 million people.
You may have missed For Better Sleep Month; it was last month, but there’s no time like the present to get some rest.
Here are the tried and true techniques we use to get a better night’s sleep:
- If you have little kids who are afraid of the dark, make Monster Spray. Spray under beds, closets, corners, and dark spots at bedtime to keep the monsters away.
- When you can’t turn off your mind, I listen to TheHonestGuys Sleep Meditation. It’s on YouTube. It works every. Time.
- Unwind with a hot bath.
- Turn off technology. Turn off your smartphone, don’t watch TV in bed; just shut it all down and give your eyes and mind a rest.
- Make it dark. Turn off the lights. We have light-blocking curtains. Psst. They also block the noise.
- Make sure you have a cozy bed! Nothing is worse than tossing and turning all night because your bed is old and uncomfortable. If you’re interested, check out Leesa for some comfy mattresses.
Feel free to share how you get a better night’s rest in the comments below. I’m open to suggestions!
Before hitting the bed, check out The Sweet Home’s review on the best foam mattress! Plus, the 10-inch-feel-good foam mattresses are 100% American-made!
Here’s to getting better Zzz’s.