The Best Healthy Sleeping Habits for Optimal Rest and Rejuvenation
By; Embracing Her Den
Riddle me this:
What question can never be answered with a yes? Drum Roll
Are you asleep?
HA!
All jokes aside, sleep is very important for overall health including mental, physical, and emotional. Studies have shown that little sleep can influence mood, cognitive functioning, and many more. Yet, parents are still out there stronger than ever!
Research published by Oxford University on behalf of Sleep Research Society concluded sleep does not fully recover to pre-pregnancy levels for almost 6 YEARS. The study also points out that after the first child, neither parents sleep satisfaction nor duration fully recovers even when their child reaches preschool age. Also, that mothers had more impaired sleep than fathers 12 months post-partum.
In addition to these studies, Snüz surveyed over 1,300 new parents. They wanted to see how much sleep new parents were receiving. It was concluded that 7 in 10 parents lost at least 3 hours of sleep a night. That is equivalent to losing 133 night’s worth of sleep before the baby turns 1! No wonder why parents are so tired! Those tiny, precious little bundles of joy are sucking the sleep out of us!
Now, this is not to scare you. I am guilty of not prioritizing my sleep needs. My first born was colicky and barely slept the first 3.5 months of her life. It was REALLY TOUGH. I wish that on no one. My second born was a typical newborn. I thought to myself, “wow, this is why people really like newborns”. They just sleep! After those social cues kicked in it was game over. My son still does not sleep through the night, although it has gotten better, I am still lacking sleep. We can’t help that kids don’t sleep through the night, but we can help ourselves get better sleep!(or at least try)
BEST TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP!
from Sleep Foundation:
Get at least 30 minutes of light exposure.-natural light influences your body's natural circadian rhythm.
Healthy eating habits.
Limit naps to 20 minutes in the early afternoon.
Stop drinking coffee after 2pm.
Deep breathing and visualization.
Do a nightly routine in the same order everyday.-it can send a signal to your body that it's time for bed.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Get out of bed after 20 minutes if you can’t sleep and do a relaxing activity.
Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
Only use your bed for sleep and sex.-it can help create a strong mental connection between sleep and bed.
Don't check the time.-it can make it harder to fall asleep due to increasing anxiety from watching the clock.
Put your phone on silent to not be disturbed.
I recommend, like everything else, start off small. Whatever is realistic for you. My personal favorite activities to practice before bed are stretching and guided meditation. My personal goal is to start implementing these again into my nightly routine.
What's YOUR better sleep goal?-contact me on my blog or through Instagram!
The information provided is for support and educational purposes. Everyone is different, and it is important to seek a professional for medical advice if you are having trouble sleeping.
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References:
Avel Horwitz, Yael Bar-Shachar, Dar Ran-Peled, Omer Finkelstein, Hamutal Ben-Zion, Eran Bar-Kalifa, Gal Meiri, Liat Tikotzky, Sleep of mothers, fathers, and infants: a longitudinal study from pregnancy through 12 months, Sleep, Volume 46, Issue 9, September 2023, zsad029, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsad029
Sleep Foundation. (2024, January 10). Healthy sleep habits: The ultimate sleep improvement plan. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-habits
Snuzuk. (n.d.). The truth about sleep: Snuz sleep survey results. Snüz. https://www.snuz.co.uk/sleep-centre/news/the-truth-about-sleep-snuz-sleep-survey-results/?vgo_ee=E8xAZL5n5p40KOkjZkBC6N83r3rW%2BcB5J5zi59DJh%2BQ&utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=impact&irgwc=1&irclickid=yo5XgxQnLxyNTZmygp3aNVfiUkH3uT0gE08l2M0&clickid=yo5XgxQnLxyNTZmygp3aNVfiUkH3uT0gE08l2M0#
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