A Good Night's Rest For All

The last few weeks I have focused on sleep training and how to properly get your little one to sleep through the night.  As I went through these series, my own house's sleep schedule went crazy!  We went through bouts of teething, getting rid of a sippy cup, and multiple wakings in the night. 

I can guarantee you - this mommy was tired every day and even know as I type this.  I am working towards a good night's rest for all so we all wake up happy and ready to conquer the many tasks we have.  Here are a few tips that I am working on and I thought I would share with you:

1.  Eat an early dinner - try to eat before 6:30.  Your body will have time to digest your food before you fall asleep.  If you eat late, your body is not resting while you are and so your body will not get all the rest you need.

2.  Be in bed at least 2 hours before midnight.   You get better sleep before midnight than before.  (Do as I say, not as I do on this one!)  This is one my husband and I are really working on.  The kids are in bed by 7:45 so you would think we could do this one but we always have projects to catch up on and get so caught up in those that we lose track of time.  This is one we really have to work on.

3.  Relax before going to sleep.  Read a book, drink some chamomile tea, anything that helps your body relax and your mind to stop thinking.   We have so much entertainment in our lives that we tend to over stimulate our minds with all the bright colors and loud sounds from the TV and video games.

4.  Have white noise or a sound machine going in your room.  This works really well for adults and children alike.  My husband and I have a sound machine that we love and not only does it help us relax but it creates the noise that we need to keep sleeping soundly.  We have used a fan in the past.  Instead of running it all night though, we do it have it on a timer so that we can sleep elsewhere without one. 

5.  If you are still not waking up rested, talk to your doctor.  It is possible that there are some medical reasons as to why you wake up exhausted.  Talkaboutsleep.com has some excellent articles that talk about sleep disorders and even sleep self assessment quiz you can take to determine if you are sleeping well.  Don't be afraid to get help because sometimes a CPAP machine is necessary to help you sleep.  A CPAP machine, CPAP masks, portable oxygen concentrators all help regulate breathing while you sleep.  Many people who have sleeping disorders do not even realize that they have them. 

I am striving to help my children sleep through night but as I do that I am learning that I must also do what I can to get the proper rest that I need.  Do you have sleep tips or tricks that you use to sleep through the night?  Leave a comment or a link to a blog post you wrote.  I would love to hear them! 

Disclosure: This is not medical advice.  This should not take the place of your doctor and his advice.  I obtained the above picture from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  This post was sponsored.