A Sleep Guide for Moms: How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life
I used to really struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep. I have always been a night owl, and regardless of how much I did in a day, I would lay in bed and not be able to fall asleep. I would go over all the 9 million items that I could have done better, ways I failed, and things I had to do tomorrow and when I was going to get them done. I was overwhelmed, anxious, and burdened.
It was difficult not to be able to fall asleep but it was even more difficult to function the next day being so exhausted.
Which makes it hard when you are a mom.
Obviously we know that with infants, sleep is a dream, not a reality, most of the time. But how frustrating is it when your kids actually do sleep but you can’t. And then you have to wake up with them as if you are well-rested and ready to go.
It has taken some intentional learning and shifting of things, but now, I sleep so freaking amazing, I fall asleep quickly, I stay asleep (unless kiddos come in the room), and even when my sleep is interrupted - I am able to fall back asleep quickly. My husband has been entertained with my snoring at night too. And to be clear - I only snore when I am in a deep sleep. And its been happening almost every night for a while.
So how did I get from insomnia to snoring within 5 minutes of laying my head down on my pillow? Here you go - all the details are below!
Lighting + Ambiance in Your Room:
Lighting and ambiance are SO vitally important in your bedroom. Your room should be your safe haven, a place of rest, and calm. How can you edit your room to make it feel like a peaceful safe haven for you?
Get a Himalayan Salt Lamp
Use an Essential Oil Diffuser
Have a lamp in your room to have on at night rather than your main light
Use neutral colors in your room to create a peaceful environment
Mix up textures in your room, add rugs and soft pillows on your bed
Consider getting a google home or Alexa and program it to play meditations or white noise in the evenings
GO MINIMAL! Get rid of the clutter! Make sure your room is free of clutter and crap.
Clean your sheets once a week
Essential oils:
There are so many oils that are great for emotional support. I’ve been using essential oils for over seven years (Young Living) and my favorite oils to diffuse are: White Angelica, Release, Valor, and Peace + Calming, Imagine walking into a spa - just the smell of Lavender or Eucalyptus instantly triggers you to relax. There is a reason for that! (Also, the ambiance of the spa...but we will get to that later in the post!) You can use oils regularly in your home to change the mood in the room (among many other health benefits!)
Comfy Jammies:
Invest in jammies that you LOVE and that you feel good in. It makes such a difference wearing jammies you feel good in and that fit you well. Here are some that I LOVE! (Target is my go-to spot for jammies!)
Hot Shower or Bath:
There are so many benefits of detox baths, but taking either a hot bath or a hot shower will relax your muscles and your body, helping to rest quicker and longer in bed at night. Especially if you add Epsom Salt and Essential Oils to your bath or shower!
Guided Meditations:
Guided meditations have been a game-changer for me for the past five years. I learned about this practice and started it when I was pregnant with baby #3, and my husband and I took a hypnobirthing class. During the first part of the class, I thought there was no way that I was doing guided meditations. It sounded so woo-woo and new age. And I am a Christian! We don’t do that kind of stuff! But guess what - there are biblical guided meditations friends. And not only that but they are so great at guiding you into relaxing your body. I never realize how tense I actually am until the guided meditations walk me through relaxing each and every single part of my body. The ones I love walk me through relaxing my shoulders, my forehead, my jaw, my neck, my shoulders and it goes down your entire body to relax. Now, I am so conditioned to relax when I put them on that I fall asleep within the first two minutes of the track. You can actually train your body to relax with certain triggers (good triggers). And the goal is that the guided meditation either guide you into relaxation or trigger the relaxed response from training yourself from consistently using them. They have been the #1 game changer for my husband and me, and they work 99% of the time!
Here are a few of my favorite guided meditations that have been a game-changer for me:
Deep Breathing:
There are so many benefits of deep breathing. This blog post from Urban Balance Explains it best…
“Simply put- extra oxygen does wonders for the body and mind. It cleanses, opens, and soothes different parts of our being and is overall something extremely healthy we can all do. Here are a few benefits to deep breathing:
1) Decreases stress, increases calm. When you become stressed or anxious, your brain releases cortisol, the “stress hormone.” By taking deep breaths, your heart rate slows, more oxygen enters our bloodstream, and ultimately communicates with the brain to relax. Deep breathing also ups your endorphins, the “feel-good” chemical.
2) Relieves pain. As stated above, deep breathing triggers the release of endorphins, which not only helps create feelings but also combats pain.
3) Stimulates the lymphatic system (Detoxifies the body). Breathing releases carbon monoxide, which is important to fully release. Actually, breathing is in charge of 70% of cleansing the body of toxins (the other 30% is through bladder and bowels.) If you do not breathe fully, your body must work overtime to release these toxins.
4) Improves immunity. When your blood is fully oxygenated, it carries and absorbs nutrients and vitamins more efficiently. Essentially, the cleaner the blood, the harder it is for illnesses to stay put in your system.
5) Increases energy. The more oxygen that is in the blood, the better our body functions. It also improves our stamina.
6) It lowers blood pressure. As your muscles relax, this allows your blood vessels to dilate, which improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing also slows and regulates the heart rate, which also helps with lowering your BP.
7) Improves digestion. The more you breathe deep, the healthier blood flow you will produce, which in turn promotes your organs to function more effectively, including your intestines.
8) It helps support the correct posture. Next time you breathe in, notice that you simultaneously lengthen and straighten your spine. In order to take a deep breath in, your lungs take up maximum space, your diaphragm pulls down, so in turn, your torso straightens in order for this to be possible.
So as you lay in bed at night, close your eyes, relax your body and take 5 cleansing breaths and see how noticeably more relaxed you are.
How to take a cleansing breath? Do the following:
Inhale deeply into your belly through your nose for 5 counts
Allow your ribs to expand
Hold the breath for a second
Exhale through your mouth for five seconds
Optional: Place your hand over your chest/heart while you breathe to anchor yourself
Prayer + Affirmations:
Every single night, without fail, I pray myself to sleep. I find that so many people are riddled with anxiety and worries (myself included). And we know, that does not add one day to our lives nor does it actually solve the problems. So being able to release our worries to Him, physically makes us feel lighter. And it gets it out of our head and puts the burden on Him. And if prayer isn’t your thing - journal it out. Find a journaling practice that serves you well. The goal is not allowing all of the junk to stay inside your head and your body and releasing it in a way that lightens your load. And affirmations - anchor yourself with some affirmations or truths that you can repeat to yourself each night. “I am loved, I am enough, I am accepted, I am a good mom, I am wise with my time etc”
Sleep Mask (or an old t-shirt):
This one makes such a difference too! There are so many options for sleep masks. It helps shut out the light and almost force you to close your eyes. One of my favorite though is using one of my husband's old T-shirts. It’s not tight on my eyes or head, it’s soft and the weight seems perfect. Just thinking bout it makes me want to take a nap!
Read a Book:
aka turn the damn TV off. So many people say they fall asleep faster when they watch TV but that is usually because they are trying to escape or avoid the uncomfortable silence of being with themselves at night. But research proves that watching TV or being on a screen before bed actually hinders your ability to sleep deeply or get in your REM sleep. So skip the screen and grab a good book. The book will wear your eyes out and relax your mind. It is a healthy escape and will help you sleep better.
CBD Oil:
I started using the Healing Balm from Press Pause Project and it makes such a difference! I sleep so soundly when I use this. I typically only use this when I have a headache or am not feeling well, but this balm on particular takes my headaches away within 10 minutes and helps me sleep so much better. They have an entire line of products meant for women. There is so much research out there proving the benefits of utilizing CBD in your wellness regiment.
The right pillow:
I am almost 32, and let me tell you - a good pillow makes a huge difference. Before, I was waking up at night adjusting my pillow constantly, So my husband and I went on the hunt for the right pillow and the ones we found have made a world of difference. I also don’t wake up with neck pain. So consider investing in a really good, supportive pillow.
Supplements:
This area you should definitely work on with your doctor, but supplements help sleep so much. I recommend going to a naturopathic doctor, getting bloodwork done and seeing where you are deficient. It is not wise to take a blanket multivitamin, without knowing your body and if it needs those supplements or not. One supplement I started taking is DeLune PMS Pills. These are designed to help support your menstrual cycle and it made my period so much better and helps me sleep more deeply. Click the link and check out the ingredients and work with your doctor on a supplemental routine that will work best for your body!
Chiropractic Care:
If you are not seeing a chiro, go find one NOW. We have used chiropractic care for myself and all my babies since birth and we are so healthy! This could be an entirely different post - but find yourself a family chiropractic care office to do scans on you and be proactive in aligning your body!
Balancing time well:
For me, knowing that I am accomplishing what I need to, managing my time well and getting my stuff done helps me sleep at night so much better. This could also be an entire course, but being able to manage your time well makes a difference! DM or email me if you want to know more about this!
I hope this list of recommendations helps you sleep so much better! Comment below with your biggest eye-opening tip and let me know how they work for you! Also, comment below if you want more info on one of these topics and I can blog or create some resources around that topic!
