Five ways to improve your sleep as a parent
Sleep deprivation can have severe consequences for both babies and adults, including weight gain, memory and mood problems, lower immune system, higher cortisol levels, and more. But even when knowing these dangers, many of us have trouble getting enough sleep, either because we get in bed too late at night (gotta reply to that one last email), we toss and turn all night, or we wake up too early. And even if we plan on getting enough sleep, a hungry baby in the middle of the night can quickly foil that plan.
But the good news is, there are many things you can do to prioritize your sleep and ensure you get the rest you so desperately need!
Do your best to make sure your wake-up time is consistent, and aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. This means that even on weekends, you should be getting up around the same time that you get up on weekdays. While it isn’t a big deal to sleep in 30 minutes later than usual (which is unlikely if you’re a parent anyway), it is best to try and keep your body operating on the same schedule from day to day. This also means going to bed within the same window each night!
Develop a morning routine. Most of us follow a morning routine with our kiddos, but if you aren’t following one for you, we recommend starting one ASAP! As you develop your morning routine, we encourage you to incorporate the things that are going to help you set up your day for success, such as eating a healthy breakfast, taking a cool shower, performing a light workout or stretching, making a plan for the day, and taking mindful breaths or time in prayer.
Just like we take time to wind down in the evening before transitioning into a restful period, we need time to transition from a restful period into an active period, and a morning routine will help you do this!
Exercise. Even ten minutes of exercise each day has been shown to improve sleep, and exercising at some point in the day can also cut down the time it takes you to fall asleep! Additionally, getting natural light helps stop your melatonin production, helping you feel awake and alert. If you’re a busy working parent wondering when you can work in exercise, try focusing on small things like taking the stairs at work, using your lunch break to take a walk, or parking further away in the parking lot to get more steps in.
Note: The best time to exercise to help promote sleep is in the mid-afternoon between 1-3pm.
Pay attention to your diet. You’d be surprised how much your diet can affect your quality of sleep. If you’re noticing that you wake frequently during the night, have a hard time falling asleep, get really sleepy during the day, or wake up earlier than desired, it could be because of the types of foods you're eating.
Do your best to limit too many refined carbs such as white bread, pizza, and pasta, especially during lunchtime, as it can cause afternoon sleepiness.
You also want to try and cut your caffeine consumption by 12pm and limit added sugars throughout the day as much as possible (especially close to bedtime).
Follow a bedtime routine. You may not realize it, but following a bedtime routine has a huge impact on how well you sleep at night. And while your routine doesn’t need to be long and drawn out (because what parent has time for that), you do want to pay attention to things beforehand, like the lighting in your house in the evening hours, as well as screen time consumption.
It should be no secret that the blue light coming off of screens can easily cause sleep disruptions by suppressing melatonin, causing you to toss and turn and ultimately fall asleep way later than you should! So turn those screens off about 2 hours prior to bedtime.
In addition to cutting screen time, try focusing on steps in your routine that will help your body and mind prepare for rest, such as washing your face, getting dressed in comfortable clothing, brushing your teeth, light reading, jotting down notes in a journal (for the next day), and praying and/or taking deep breaths.
The ideal bedtime for most adults is between 8-10pm. If you go to sleep later than 10pm, you are risking the quality of your sleep, so do your best to stay within this window!
Remember that your children are much more likely to develop healthy sleep habits if they see you prioritizing sleep, so do your best to implement some of these practices, and it might just benefit your entire family!
For more information, see our related articles:
The alarming dangers of sleep deprivation & how to fix it
Five ways to make sleep a priority
Sources:
https://www.zinio.com/weight-watchers/september-october-2018-i391012
https://www.sleep.org/articles/is-it-bad-to-watch-tv-right-before-bed/
https://www.theskimm.com/well/how-to-get-good-sleep-517JZU5km2sZxKPBDbUGsI