Healthy Sleep Habits
GO TO BED
I assume I’m not the only mom who needs that as the first 3 words on healthy sleep habits. But it’s so much easier said than done! When there is finally stillness and silence, and all you want to do is delight in the lack of sounds and get something accomplished without an interruption, the discipline to GO TO BED is almost impossible. And while there is beauty in the renewal and checking off of the “to do list” that comes in the late night hours, the long term health that comes with the sleep is something you can’t ignore.
Sleep is something we often make a high priority for our children, but don’t keep as an important rhythms in our own evenings and nights. When your child was a baby, you probably had some regular evening rituals such as a bath, story, and song before bedtime. As your child grew, maybe the routine changed to a nighttime conversation or prayer time about their day and how their heart is doing.
Yet often, we don’t continue these practices of healthy evening rhythms for ourselves to contribute to good sleep. There are some easy steps you can take to prepare your mind and body for a good sleep.
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
Make your bedroom dark, quiet, and comfy.
Try to get 7-8 hours of shut-eye per night.
Don’t eat a big meal close to your bedtime.
Get up and read a book if you can’t sleep.
Take your computer and TV out of your bedroom.
Put your smartphone in a drawer, so the screen light doesn’t keep you up.
Reduce blue light exposure in the evening.
Don’t consume caffeine late in the day.
Don’t drink alcohol before bed.
Don’t eat a big meal close to your bedtime.
Set a cool bedroom temperature.
Relax and clear your mind in the evening.
Take a relaxing bath or shower.
Exercise regularly, but not before bed.
Moms are the queens of sleep excuses! You may have a lot of “good reasons” for why you don’t get good sleep, but this would NEVER be acceptable for our children, so we should not accept it for ourselves either.
What change are YOU going to make TONIGHT for better sleep?
Sources: www.webmd.com, www.healthline.com, www.neuroticmommy.com