Baby sleeping but you can’t? Practice sleep hygiene for yourself too.
Baby sleeping but you can’t? Practice sleep hygiene for yourself too. Baby is sleeping but you are just tossing and turning. Baby has woken up for the nth time at night and gone back to sleep but you are unable to go back to sleep. Baby is finally sleeping through the night after 3.5 years but you are still waking multiple times every night. Sounds familiar? When sleep deprivation becomes a part of our new normal, it becomes important to pay attention to sleep hygiene and healthy sleep practices for ourselves as well, like: 1. Set your body clock – go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday. 2. Organize your day with a to-do list. Keep a pad and pen next to your bed to jot down any tasks that pop up in your head so that they don’t keep bouncing around in there! 3. Avoid caffeine late in the day – it stays in your bloodstream between 6 and 14 hours! 4. Quit smoking 5. Ask your doctor about side effects of any medication you may be taking 6. Watch out for the effects of too much alcohol – it may cause you to fall asleep but then wake a few hours later and be unable to sleep again 7. Make exercise a part of your day – but more than 3 hours before bedtime 8. Make your environment sleep-friendly – a comfortable bed, the right temperature, no noise, keep it dark. 9. Don’t spend too much awake time in bed as it’s best to associate the bed with sleep. 10. Have your own bedtime routine 11. Eat right and eat light before sleep 12. No screens for at least an hour before bedtime 13. Use progressive relaxation or meditation to slow down your body and mind (you could explore an audio file or app) Wishing you many nights of restful sleep!