Tips to Overcome Sleep Problems

Oh, the ever elusive sleep. I do miss it. So, so much. But as a mom of a toddler, I haven’t slept for about two years.

Sure, babies and toddlers keep us up at night with their constant hunger, adorable cuddliness or other needs, but there are other issues that keep us from sleeping well, even if we are allowed to have a few hours of consecutive time to ourselves at night.

Thanks to the folks at Casper for creating these sleep cards and allowing me to share them with my readers.

5 Common sleep problems and solutions

Sleep Problem 1: You want to sleep, but when you lay down you’re not sleepy. Well, part of the problem is we’re addicted to our cell phones. These lovely screens actually keep us alert and awake. I like to read a book before bed, preferably on a Kindle paperwhite – no screen, no bright lights, or a physical book. That helps calm the brain and sometimes I even wake up later holding my book.

 

Sleep Problem 2: You just can’t get to sleep because your brain is going a mile a minute. The solution to this is the same as what you do to put a baby to bed: a bedtime routine. We all need to signal our brains that it is time to shut down for the night, and a routine helps babies, toddlers, and adults transition from alert and awake to resting and relaxing. A routine doesn’t have to be complicated (for my child it is milk, bath, brush teeth, book(s), and laying down). For adults it can be similar – I like to shower before bed (rather than in the morning) and that is part of my relaxing routine.

Sleep Problem 3: Waking up hungry, or unable to fall asleep because the hunger keeps you awake. I know my toddler sleeps longer if his belly is full before he goes down for a nap or for the night. There’s no reason we adults should be any different. If dinner was a long time ago and you’re getting ready for bed on a pretty empty stomach, add a snack into your evening routine. A small cup of yogurt even can help fill you up and keep that sleep problem quiet.

Sleep problem 4: Sudden sounds wake you up. I used to think I could sleep through anything, and then I had a baby. Suddenly, I would wake at every change in my son’s breathing. While we were all rooming in, we had a great sound machine going to help the baby learn to sleep, and to help us not wake up every time he made a sound. When he moved to his own room, the machine went with him, so I do miss it sometimes when the dogs decide to go off at a random noise down the road.

Sleep Problem 5: You just cannot get comfortable because you overheat. This is a problem my husband has. I have the opposite issue – I start shivering immediately prior to falling asleep. But if you struggle with an internal heater that kicks off as you get sleepy, keep the thermostat at a comfortable cool temperature and use a fan. Ceiling fans are brilliant inventions that help keep the air moving in your bedroom. We installed one in every bedroom in this house if one wasn’t already installed. We also installed one in our bedroom in our previous house. Because they are that helpful. Then I just use a nice blanket to keep warm and enjoy the fresher air.

 

What are some of your sleep problems? Have you come up with solutions for them?