This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a .
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had trouble falling asleep. My mind just doesn’t seem to know how to shut off. I lay awake going over my day or what’s going to happen tomorrow or some recent issue that I’m struggling with. The only time I can ever remember falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow was the night I came home from the hospital after having both my children.
Of course, I was then awakened a few hours later by a screaming newborn. But that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve tried to slow down right before bed. You know, dim the lights, put away the smart phone, etc. Yeah…that doesn’t seem to happen often. I vow to do better and then a few weeks go by and..well you know the drill.
Sound Machines or Fan
We sleep with a fan on, which is a huge necessity. My husband snores, so it helps a little, plus I simply can’t sleep in utter silence. The worst is when I’m traveling and there’s no fan or anything in the room. I’ve finally gotten smart enough to travel with a noise machine. VOILA! Problem solved.
My kids aren’t great sleepers either. They go in phases and trade off getting up at night, which is super fun for me. I’m a bit of a beast when I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep, so I am not a fan of these phases at all. My son sleeps with a fan outside his room and my daughter has her own sound machine.
Blackout Shades
We learned early that a huge key to having your children sleep is black out curtains. My son didn’t have them in his room until he was a toddler and it was like a lightbulb went off. He would sleep later and nap more after we installed the curtains. It’s the same for us. We don’t have blackout curtains so the second the sun comes up, I’m awake, unless a small creature woke me up a few times during the night. Then I can sleep through anything.
Get up, then try again
One of my bigger struggles is that I tend to get really irritated and exasperated when I can’t fall asleep. So I lay there tossing and turning, which only makes things worse, for me and AND my husband (who has absolutely NO trouble falling asleep). I recently read that when you can’t sleep you should get up for a little bit and read or something else relaxing and then try again. I need to remember that.
Having trouble sleeping?
Be sure to check out a new resource from the National Sleep Foundation at – 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.
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