Becoming a parent is the start of a magical and wonderful journey, but it can also mean the end of having a good night's sleep. With the early days of night feeds to the interrupted sleep that comes with a bed sharing toddler, a peaceful night sleep soon becomes the stuff of dreams. Throw the worry of teenagers into the mix and we become so out of sync with our natural sleep cycle, that a good night's sleep becomes even more elusive.
Although we can't control those times when our children need us at night time, there are things we can do to make the most of the hours of slumber that we do have at our disposal when our little ones are tucked up safely in bed!
Tips for a better night's sleep
- Make your bedroom a relaxing place. It's your sanctuary.
- Keep it peaceful, cool and comfortable.
- Make sure you have a good quality mattress. Check out the new rolled Silentnight mattresses for a convenient way of buying and handling a new mattress. We bought ourselves a rolled memory foam mattress and it is brilliant. It's amazing how compactly they are packaged, and then they spring up to full size on the bed. Memory foam is just so comfortable too!
- Make sure it is dark in your bedroom to promote melatonin production. Avoid watching TV in bed or using backlit e-readers.
- Associate your bed with sleep (and the odd spot of romance!!), so your body gets a powerful cue at night time. Don't use your bed to do anything stressful like paperwork or revision!
- A light carbohydrate based snack can promote sleep. Try a banana or cereal. Avoid a heavy meal before bed and don't eat spicy or acidic foods.
- Even if you can't sleep, try to relax, breathe deeply and visualize a restful place. Don't panic! Focus on all the physical sensations you can feel such as the duvet on your skin and the sound of your breathing.
- Avoid caffeine in the evenings.
- Try to keep a good sleep routine with a regular bedtime.
- Make sure you get sunlight and exercise during the day to promote restful sleep at night time.
- Give some remedies a try. I was sent some Better You Magnesium Oil Goodnight Spray from Silentnight to test out to see if it improved my sleep. It is a unique combination of magnesium and essential oils to help promote deep muscle relaxation, a sense of wellbeing and promote a peaceful sleep. It made my legs feel very relaxed and smelt very relaxing. I can suffer with aching joints and restless legs that can keep me awake, but the spray and a quick, gentle massage relieved the symptoms. It meant one less thing to hinder falling asleep! I have recommended this product to my parents as I was so impressed with it. (Available from Amazon.)
Hopefully by following these tips we can improve our slumber and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning. I live in hope of rediscovering the joys of a good night sleep...I just need to stop my Ian from waking me up with his snoring and get Freddy to stay in his own bed all night through and I'll be sorted!! Sweet dreams!!
