Did you know that I not only help parents get their babies sleeping but, I also study adult sleep?
Sleep is my specialty.
Not only can I get your little one’s sleeping and help educate on infant and toddler sleep, but I help parents sleep.
Sleep is sleep.
Once I get their babies sleeping 12+ hrs at night, parents often come to me not because their child is not sleeping…but because THEY are not sleeping!
I know, I know...what parents often say “after the kids go to bed is finally MEEE time, my Netflix and relax time, I can’t give that up!!”
You don’t have to.
Take these tips and start with making small changes. Life is about balance, watch tv before bed but maybe buffer 15 minutes of a wind-down before settling in for the night.
Small changes create significant results, and you don’t have to give up the occasional glass of wine, coffee, or late night.
Here are some of the top questions I get and my answers!
How much sleep should I be getting at night?
Adults should get between 7-9 hours of sleep at night.
We often don’t get the amount of sleep we regularly need, sometimes because our babies are not sleeping well (but I can fix that), but mostly because we live in a culture where sleep is not prioritized, we are using lack of sleep as a badge of honor. That’s not all, technology including blue lights are also tricking our bodies into thinking it’s not yet time for sleep, causing us to be off rhythm with our biological clocks. Not to mention artificial sleep disruptors like caffeine, alcohol, drugs…
Prioritizing anything over sleep witch is a non-negotiable biological necessity, can be detrimental to our health and our little ones health. Period.
How do I know I’m getting enough sleep?
If you wake up, feeling rested, energized, and ready for the day. You have had enough sleep!
This means you’re not reaching for and NEEDING a coffee anytime in the morning or ready for a nap mid-morning.
Try it. Skip your morning coffee. Do you feel tired? Sluggish? If you do, you need more sleep.
Should I take a nap during the day?
Whether you should take a nap depends on you and on your body. If you are sleep deprived or didn’t get enough sleep the night before, you might want to take a short catnap during the day.
If you take a nap and you find it affects your nighttime sleep or you have trouble falling asleep at night, it’s not worth sacrificing night sleep, which is more restorative and beneficial for your body.
Taking a short nap is better than taking a 2 hr nap during the day. Again you don’t want to sacrifice the quality of your sleep at night.
Short naps between 10-20 minutes are ideal.
Try not to nap after 3 pm.
No human, including babies, sleeps well in a distracting environment (even if we think we do), so a dark, quiet place with little distractions is always best.
Can you catch up on sleep on weekends?
No sorry, you can’t. This is a myth. You can’t accumulate sleep debt and then hope to pay it off on the weekends. It just doesn’t work that way. Once sleep is lost, it’s lost. You can’t “sleep it off.”
According to Neuroscientist Mathew Walker, this “social jet lag” or “sleep bulimia”, sleeping less during the week and trying to sleep it off on the weekend can cause a far less healthy life.
The recommendation is to get consistent sleep every day of the week.
Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time always.
What can help me sleep better?
Getting our bodies circadian rhythm working in sync with our natural sleep-wake cycles is critical!
This means going to sleep at the same time each night and waking up at the same time.
Reducing exposure to blue light (phone, tv, or any technology) at least an hour before bed.
Lot’s of sunlight exposure during wakeful times and darkness during sleep.
Keep naps shorter than 20 minutes or if they affect sleep, avoid them (for adults only, children have different sleep needs)
Avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
Reduce anxiety by writing down thoughts before bed, practicing gratitude, or breathing/meditation.
Exercise (better in the early part of the day)
How to fall asleep faster at night?
A bath helps lower body temperature and prepare for sleep.
Magnesium helps to relax the muscles and achieve better sleep.
Breathing/meditation before bed.
What do I do if I can’t fall asleep or wake up at night and can’t fall back to sleep?
Focus on not “going back to sleep” but instead breathing deeply for 4 seconds in, holding for 4 seconds, and out for 4 seconds. Just relax.
Don’t ever stay in bed tossing and turning. Get out of bed and change your environment. Read in dim lights. Don’t look at your phone or turn on the tv.
Journal, write down some of the thoughts that are keeping you up or might be causing anxiety. Write them all down.
If you snore, get up frequently (more than two times at night), or suffer from insomnia (this could be linked to PPD or PPA) or excessive sleepiness during the day, see your doctor.
*This is not medical advice. Please see your doctor if sleep quality is poor, and you are excessively tired.
Reach out if you want to chat about first resolving any sleep problem you are facing with your child, and we will get that sorted so that you can focus on your sleep and your self-care (if that includes Netflix - YOU DO YOU! I support you 😉)
Lil.
