My child’s sleep has improved, but now I am having trouble sleeping. What can I do?
It is a wonderful thing when a child finds sleep easier but somehow often times the parent/s who were once awake with the child now have a hard time sleeping through the night. It is important to talk to your physician about your sleep if you are having issues but here are some tips in the meantime. If you are bedsharing even for some of the night it is important to continue following the safe sleep 7 as outlined here .
This includes not using sedatives while sleeping in the same bed as your child. Thankfully there are several natural measures that can be used that do not cause drowsiness and allow you to continue to safely bedshare if you so choose.
Try to limit screen time approximately 2 hours before bed. This can be a difficult one since many of us were used to scrolling through social media while trying to get baby to sleep but studies have been done that show ‘blue light’ can cause sleep disturbances. Please refer to this article for more information:
Many phones actually have a “night shift” mode that you can set that provide more red toned light to help with sleep as opposed to the usual blue toned screen.
Try out meditation apps-this one is recommended by our team:
This link has 10 more apps with pros and cons of each app.
A lot of times sleep can be difficult because there is so much to think about from the day. These apps and/or any spiritual practice that you might be involved in can be a good way to clear your mind of the stresses of the day, focus on the positive, and look forward to the next day.
Just as you might have read that outdoor activities can potentially help with your child’s sleep as seen in this article: being outside is also helpful for parents. Thankfully many of the activities listed in the above article are things that can be fun and benefit both parent and child/children.
You might be deficient in essential minerals or have thyroid dysfunction. It is important to get your blood levels checked by your physician if you are experiencing difficulties sleeping. Sometimes hormone disturbances or mineral deficiencies can be a factor in these type of issues. Here is a list of common mineral imbalances that can cause sleep disturbances.
Please do not begin supplements without first consulting your midwife or physician as some minerals need to be monitored.
Avoid caffeine in the afternoon. This includes coffee, teas, sodas, energy drinks, etc. As stated in this article, caffeine begins acting within 15 minutes and can typically take 6 hours for half of the caffeine consumed to be excreted from the body.
Sleep Paradox - How Working Harder on Your Sleep Makes it Worse