We spend a lot of time talking about sleep for babies, toddlers, and older children, but it’s important for adults to pay attention to their sleep habits as well. One of the most common complaints we hear from parents is once their children are sleeping better, they often have a hard time improving their own sleep. It takes time for our adult bodies to adjust to getting more sleep. Here are five ways for adults to get more sleep tonight!
Parents need sleep too! Are you following these tips to help get a good night’s sleep?
1.Make your room dark
Your baby or older child’s sleep space isn’t the only one that should be dark. Adult bedrooms should also be dark and cool– think of a cave when you think of the best space for sleeping. Put up blackout shades, turn down the alarm clock light (move it away from your bedside table) and remove nightlights.
2. Step away from the phone
We all do it. We check our phones right before bed (we have to know what all of Facebook is doing before we turn in!). However, this checking can be the culprit for why you have trouble sleeping. Blue light inhibits our melatonin production and can make it hard for us to fall asleep easily. Ideally we should be turning off all screens (phone, tv, tablet) at least 1-2 hours before bedtime. It’s also best to keep the phone out of the bedroom, or at least off of your nightstand so that you aren’t tempted to use it at bedtime!
3. Declutter your sleep space.
Make your sleep space a sanctuary– one where you will look forward to laying your head on a pillow each night. The bedroom should be used for sleeping and sex only. Get the piles of bills, bags for clothing donations, and office workspace out of the bedroom and you will get more sleep!
4. Limit alcohol
I know plenty of parents (including myself!) who love to have a glass of wine after the kids have gone to bed. This is fine in moderation, but imbibing in too much alcohol leads to poor sleep. Reach for some warm milk, chamomile tea, or tart cherry juice some of the time instead. All help to induce drowsiness and relax the body.
5. Set a timer to wind down and go to bed!
Once you get the kids to bed, it seems there is always one more thing we need to do as parents before going to bed. Once our parent list is done, often have other chores that need tending, but this often leads to falling asleep well after our bodies are saying we are tired. Set a timer (on that phone you need to shut off) to go off about an hour before bedtime. Then use that as a signal to wrap things up and start getting ready to sleep.
Give yourself the time to have a relaxing wind down routine. It doesn’t have to be super long every night, but it should be repetitive. Take the time to clear your mind and meditate for a few minutes, take a bath or shower, breathe, and get into bed. Your body will respond well to having a consistent routine.
If you try any of these tips, we’d love to know how they work with you! Remember that it takes time to make changes and for our bodies to respond, so try to be consistent for at least 2 weeks. Hopefully you will get more sleep soon!