I’m awake.
It’s 4:00 am and I’m awake.
I toss and turn trying to get comfortable, but no matter how I lie, my body fights the soft down of my comforter.
As I lie there, my head starts spinning, and I start worrying.
“Do I have everything ready for the morning?”
“Did I forget to lock my front door?”
“Are the kids cold? Maybe I should go cover them up again.”
“Oh, I really screwed up today. I wonder if I’ll ever get this parenting thing right?”
As the minutes go by, my mind won’t stop. I try to will it to be quiet. “Shhh! Just stop!”
The minutes tick, tick, tick by and next thing I know, it’s 5:00am.
I might as well go ahead and get up, the kids will be up soon anyway. It’s going to be a long, long day….
Photo Credit: TempusVolat via Compfight cc
Because it has been a while since I had a good night’s rest, I asked for help from my readers.
I had two different wonderful Mamas send me some great suggestions on how they are able to settle down and sleep. I loved the tips so much, that I thought I’d share them with you.
Count your blessings.
One reader shared that she has stopped thinking about the things she’s worried about and instead focuses on the blessings in her life. Isn’t that brilliant!?
What a great way to drift off to sleep thinking about the the good in your life. So replace those worrisome thoughts with blessings instead. Simple, doable, and effective!
iSleep phone app
Another reader said that she uses an iSleep app that helps her fall asleep. I was intrigued, so I tried it out, and I like it!
This app is filled with guided meditations to help you relax and fall asleep faster. I have purchased it and plug in my ear phones, as to not wake the husband, and fall right to sleep. It maybe me new favorite thing.
They have apps for both Apple and Android. The maker of this app has no idea that I’m writing this nor do I get any compensation for telling you about this. I just love to share things that I love.
Do you have any other tips to help you fall asleep? Go ahead and share them, all us Mamas who can’t sleep could really use them!
Other helpful tips:
4 Books That Will Enhance a Mother’s Life
One Simple Tip To Stop Yelling
“Mommy Will You Play With Me?” How to get things done when your child wants to play
I take Melatonin when the insomnia is really bad, I like Natrol liquid brand, 3-6 droppers. For stress I take Gemmotherapy Lime Tree – 6 droppers to calm the nerves. Otherwise I Pin, or play words with friends honestly, under the covers so as not to wake my husband. I’m too lazy to get up to do stuff till I get tired. I can’t sleep during the day, my brain keeps me awake. Reading tires my eyes & distracts me from what’s happening.
Oh I’ve heard of Melatonin…I’ll look into that. I do have a tendency to be on my phone when I can’t sleep…it’s better than getting frustrated and just tossing and turning.
I actually have to take something for my insomnia nightly but I do turn off the computer an hour before bed or even the meds won’t work. I also wear an eye mask on occasion. Of course, my kids are grown so I can get by with a lot more things. 🙂
Great meeting you at #BBCSTL!
The computer is probably a problem for me. Thanks for the reminder. Hope you sleep well tonight 🙂
I have trouble sleeping some nights. It is hard to remember to shut down. Disconnect. And give my brain as much rest as I can. I have a bad habit of giving it more to think about. I might try some of your suggestions. Thank you!
Passion flower tea and skullcap tincture. Works wonderfully. Suggested by my naturopath.
Oh! Thanks! I’ll have to look into that.
If I drift, I start to get frustrated that I’m not asleep, so I like my brain to be occupied, but not too occupied. A friend suggested that I go through the alphabet naming a vegetable (sometimes I do fruits, or plants, generally) that starts with each letter Not always so easy, but I’m usually asleep by K!
What a great tip! I’ll have to try that one out. Thanks!
Valarian root works wonders for me!! Just take it about 30 minutes before you want to be asleep. You won’t get the sleep hangover you can get from other supplements.
I definitely have this problem often! Both ideas sound intriguing – I’ll have to give them a try!
Deep breathing works for me most of the time. Stretching and yoga work too!
Thanks!
I so thought sleep would get better once my daughter slept well – anything but, the churning anxiety is worse I think than the sheer exhaustion of having to get up. One tip I have found that really helps is the story thread – you have to make up a very simple story line, it can be anything you like but ones involving journeys seem to work best for most people. When I’m awake in the middle of the night, I just think about the story – if my brain starts wandering off into worries and anxiety, I just gently bring it back to the story. It sounds a bit a bit strange but it really helps me relax and usually has me back off to sleep in 10 or 15 minutes and has helped enormously.
I take two meds for insomnia and still have trouble. So I keep a post-it-note pad with me when I go to bed. Before I even try to fall asleep, I write down thoughts/concerns and stuff I need to remember to do the next day. I have a rule that once it’s on the post-it, I have to leave it there. The paper will remember whatever needs remembering. As a plus, this usually means I’ve just started my to do list for the next day to help me stay on track.
Great tip! Thank you!