5 Tips to Sleeping Like a Husband #insomniahelp

I used to always hear people say, “I slept like a baby.”  I know I probably had said this on a few occasions.  However, that was before I was a parent.  Now that I’m a parent, I don’t want to sleep like a baby.  I want to sleep like my husband, well, in my case, my fiance.  All jokes aside, that’s what I want, even if just for a night.
This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a new insomnia resource from the National Sleep Foundation.

Let’s set the record straight.  I’m jealous of both.  There are often times when my daughter can fall asleep and it just looks like she is literally KNOCKED out! I’m talking about the type of sleep where you can wiggle their arms, pretend to do the robot with them, lick their face, and they don’t even flinch. You know what I’m talking about.  Head bobbing up and down in the car seat type of sleep.

And that type of sleep happens often here.  Like these….

And while we’re on the subject.  Why we he co-sleeps with the toddler do they always looks so peaceful? Yet, when I fall asleep with her, she literally climbs on top of me.  I mean, he has nice warm skin too, right?

 So why can’t I fall asleep?  I lay there with thoughts racing through my mind. Did I lock the doors? What should we eat for breakfast tomorrow, or lunch, or dinner? When can I get to the store this week? What do we need from the store? How many posts do I have to write tomorrow for the blog? Am I giving the baby enough nutrition? How many e-mails do I have left to answer? Should I do a blog event? How do I do a blog event? Is the toddler growing as well as she should? I think we had too much screen time today? Is she learning enough? Did I water the plants today? The list goes on and on and on.

Until I guess somewhere between wondering about the house catching on fire and the baby getting sick, I just pass out until I hear cries from a restless toddler coming at 2am and I have to get her back to sleep.  One day it clicked that I just wasn’t getting enough sleep and I needed to figure out what worked for me getting better sleep.  I found some tips of my own, along with a few from the National Sleep Foundating, and I try to do these tips as often as possible and notice that when I do them, it really helps!

1. Turn off all electronics an hour before bed – this means your phone, computer, TV etc. This gives your brain time to unwind from a day.  Taking a shower or reading a book are good things to do in that last hour. 
2. Create a sleep spray with a therapeutic grade lavender essential oil – and water and spray sheets and pillow before bed. Lavender is known as a calming oil and helps to relax your mind
3. Use a sound machine – Sound machines aren’t just for babies.  They can be used to drown out sounds that may be keeping you awake, as well as lull you to sleep
4. Do NOT take a late nap with your baby – I know you may think I’m crazy.  But taking naps late in the day (or long naps early during the day) can actually interrupt your normal sleep patterns.  It’s better to try to get a longer stretch at night
5. Write Down Tomorrow’s To Do List – This may be my greatest tip and what I actually notice helps me a great deal.  I have a notebook and try to write down everything that I know I need to do for the next day before I go to bed.  I also try to write down anything else I’m thinking about to get those thoughts out of my head.  

Be sure to check out a new resource from the National Sleep Foundation at sleepfoundation.org/insomnia – a good place to start if you think you have insomnia or aren’t sleeping. The National Sleep Foundation is your trusted resource for everything sleep – understanding how sleep works & why it’s important, learning healthy habits, creating a relaxing bedroom & bedtime routine, & finding solutions to your sleep issues.