*How Busy Moms can get Better Sleep is a guest post. If you are interested in having your writing hosted on A Modern Mom’s Life, please visit my Guest Posting page.*
As a mom, nothing in life matters more to you than your kids. Getting them dressed, making sure they’re eating, and taking care of their every need is constantly at the forefront of your mind. That’s normal, and there’s nothing wrong with taking care of your children when they need you, but it’s easy to forget yourself in the process.
How often do you forget to take care of some of your most basic necessities because you’re worried about taking care of your family first? Forgetting simple yet crucial functions like sleeping becomes increasingly normal when you’re occupied with other things.
Why You Need Sleep
Sleep is extremely important to your overall wellbeing. As a mom, you may experience more stress than the average person because you are not just taking care of yourself. You have to consider someone else’s wellbeing, which can be overwhelming at times. That’s why sleep is crucial – it’s when your body and mind can recuperate from the stressors of the day.
It’s recommended that adults get at least 7-9 hours of sleep a day. Since your body uses this time to restore, repair, and rejuvenate itself, having too little sleep can have serious consequences for your health. Lack of energy, moodiness, and high blood pressure are just a few of the many side effects of sleep deprivation.
How Sleep can Affect Your Family
Symptoms brought on by sleep deprivation not only affect you but they can affect your family as well. Since children tend to copy many things their parents do, if you emit negative emotions, like sadness, anger, or anxiety, your children can sense this and may start exhibiting these feelings as well. It’s been found that if parents exude negative emotions too often their child’s emotional and cognitive development can be compromised.
Here are a few ways busy moms can get better sleep:
Clear Your Mind
Sleeping can be hard when you’re focused on other things like your child’s field trip or play date. As difficult as it may be, try to turn off your mind before bed. Set these things aside for the time being and get some sleep because worrying about a situation all night isn’t going to help you.
While there’s no button to push to stop you from thinking about things before bed, realize that you will be better equipped to deal with things in the morning once you’re well-rested and energized.
Practice a Calming Activity
Sometimes it’s just too difficult to clear your mind and relax before bed. You may need to try a calming activity, like yoga, to help you settle down.
The poses performed during yoga, as well as the deep breathing exercises, can help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and more, which may help counteract some sleep issues.
If you don’t have experience doing yoga, don’t worry. There are a variety of quick beginner tutorials online that are under ten minutes. Another great thing about yoga is that you don’t even need to leave your house; you can meditate right from your bed making it even easier for you.
Get A Better Mattress
If something doesn’t obviously break or come loose in your mattress, it’s easy to forget that you’ve had it for 10 years. Despite appearances, an old mattress can have many negative impacts on the quality of a person’s sleep and overall health.
Over time, mattresses get sunken and misshapen, which can lead to many health issues ranging from chronic back pain to neck pains. To improve your sleep, consider purchasing a new supportive mattress that won’t have you tossing and turning during the night. Remember to test out various beds before you settle on one. Something as simple as having a pillow top mattress instead of a hybrid mattress can make all the difference.
Set A Sleep Schedule
This goes for both yourself and your kids. You can’t get sleep if your kids don’t. To avoid constant interruptions by your children during the night, set up a bedtime routine. Doing repetitive actions like reading a story before bed will help the kids recognize when it’s time to go to sleep.
As for yourself, try creating your own nighttime routine. Consistently go to sleep at the same time every night to help regulate your internal clock. Also, consider other factors that might affect your sleep schedule. Do you take showers at night? Do you need to let the dogs out? Or clean the house? If these are things you need to do before going to bed be sure you accommodate for that so you have ample time to get to sleep.
Remember This
Busy moms can get better sleep, and the busier they are, the more sleep they need!
You can’t take care of your family if you’re not taking care of yourself. Be the best possible version of yourself for not only yourself but your family.
This guest post was provided by a Content Specialist & Furniture Fanatic for Bob’s Discount Furniture.
I have a few more tips for helping you have a better sleep. Read my post Get some Sleep: Tips from a busy Working Parent. I share a few personal struggles and tips that have helped me find an ideal bedtime routine and sleep habits.
How is your sleep hygiene? Are you getting “enough” sleep at night? I’d love to hear how you manage your evenings with your busy schedule.
Jess
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