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Desperately Seeking Sleep

October 16, 2018 20 Comments

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If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you probably know that I suffer from insomnia. Between my husband Colm’s snoring, our God-awful knockoff Tempur-Pedic mattress, and my racing brain, I’m lucky if I get five hours of sleep a night. Some nights it is closer to three.

Then of course at 5:00 am when it’s time to get up, I’m so exhausted that I have to drag myself out of bed, rouse the first set of kids to get ready for school, get them on the bus and then I sleep on the couch for 30 minutes until it’s time to get the next kid up and out the door. After I drop off my oldest at school I get home and either start working right away or I go back to bed and try to get another hour or two of sleep before I really have to start my day.

Desperately Seeking SleepMore than once I’ve fallen asleep on the couch after sitting down to take off my shoes. I was so tired this afternoon that I actually fell asleep briefly in my parked car waiting for my daughters to finish with their after school activities. I immediately took a nap when I got home.

You don’t realize how incredibly bad it is for your body to go without proper sleep.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 50-70 million adults in the US have sleep or wakefulness disorders. Sleep deprivation can lead to serious health concerns including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and high blood pressure.

Not only does it cause memory loss, anxiety and depression, but WebMD states lack of sleep ages your skin “…chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes.”

On top of all the health issues lack of sleep causes, one of my biggest issues is my mood and how it effects everyone around me. When I am especially tired I’m impatient, can’t concentrate and get snippy. It only takes one small misunderstanding to quickly change a the atmosphere from happy to WTH just happened?!?

Tips to Help You Get the Sleep You Desperately Need

  • Try to schedule your daily exercise at least 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.
  • Don’t eat heavy meals or drink a lot before bedtime.
  • Avoid substances that make it difficult to fall asleep, such as caffeine, tobacco, and other stimulants. Several OTC and prescription medicines can disrupt sleep (e.g., anxiety medication, cold and allergy medicines).
  • Despite popular belief that an alcoholic drink will make you sleep better, alcohol actually triggers a light sleep and you tend to wake more times during the night.
  • Create a bedtime routine that will help you wind down before bed, maybe take a hot bath, read a book, or listen to soothing music.
  • Avoid electronics, TV and bright lighting for an hour before bedtime.
  • Make your bedroom more sleep-friendly. Keep the temperature cool and don’t play loud music. It should be also be very dark. Buying light-blocking shades will help keep outside lights from disturbing your sleep.
  • You spend 1/3 of your life in bed, your mattress should be comfortable. It is recommended that you replace your mattress every 6-8 years, but if it’s a high quality mattress it can last over 12 years.
  • Go to sleep and wake up around the same time, even on the weekends. Staying up late and sleeping in on weekends disrupts your sleep cycle and makes it hard to get back on schedule during the week.

Desperately Seeking Sleep

For me, it doesn’t seem to matter if I go to bed early or late, I always end up tossing and turning, staring at the clock just waiting for sleep to finally come.

I’ve tried music, no music, ambient noise, white noise, running a fan, keeping the room pitch black, guided meditation, essential oils… nothing seems to help. I’ve taken melatonin, OTC sleeping pills, NyQuil, Benadryl, and other sleep aids to no avail.

My husband and I have been mattress shopping at Sleep Number but it never seems to fit in to the budget.

It is a good idea to talk to your doctor about any sleeping problem that persist for longer than a few weeks.

Do you have any tips on falling asleep and staying asleep?

SLEEP DISORDERS & INSUFFICIENT SLEEP

DIY/How to

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Catherine S says

    November 16, 2018 at 8:29 am

    These are great tips. I think not having a TV in our bedroom helps.

    Reply
  2. Dinner, then Dessert says

    November 16, 2018 at 10:48 am

    I am a light sleeper too, so my combination of my toddler trying to climb into bed at night and my infant waking up at random intervals has added up to me being very sleep deprived as well! Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  3. Six Feet Under Blog says

    November 16, 2018 at 11:11 am

    Those are great tips. Sometimes I do have trouble falling asleep.

    Reply
  4. Stacie says

    November 16, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    This has been me on more than one occasion. Luckily, I was able to get back into a good sleep routine. The secret for me was getting off of the computer at least an hour before bed.

    Reply
  5. Jess C says

    November 16, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    I also have a lot of trouble sleeping sometimes, and never know what to do about it! Thanks for these tips, I'll be putting them to good use!

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    November 16, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    I don’t think you can “make” yourself a morning person.

    Reply
  7. krystal says

    November 16, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    This is the story of my life. I never get enough sleep!! I need to try these tips.

    Reply
  8. Valerie says

    November 16, 2018 at 10:22 pm

    I have insomnia issues as well. It is so hard on my body when I am not sleeping well. Thanks for the infographic. Wow! it really does affect so much of your well-being to not get enough sleep.

    Reply
  9. Seattle Travel says

    November 16, 2018 at 10:36 pm

    I have restless nights sometimes myself. I wouldn't consider myself an insomniac but I would say that I could definitely use some of your tips to help me sleep some nights.

    Reply
  10. Toni says

    November 17, 2018 at 6:44 am

    I too go through bouts of insomnia. I knew a number of these tips but it's great to both hear them again as well as I learned some new things from your post. I wonder why so many adults suffer from insomnia? I guess at least with so many having an issue it's getting attention to solve the problem!

    Reply
  11. jeanabeena says

    November 17, 2018 at 7:40 am

    Once in your system, caffeine can take up to 6 hours for 1/2 of it to be eliminated. So if you have a soda with dinner, or even after work, it could be affecting your sleep. Cut back on caffeine earlier in the day to get better rest at night.

    Reply
  12. Mommy Has To Work says

    November 17, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    I was having trouble staying asleep and waking up too early. I bought black out shades, and also a new bed and now I sleep much better! Great post thanks for sharing and I hope you get a good nights sleep!

    Reply
  13. Marcie W. says

    November 17, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    Sleep is actually one thing I do not struggle with but I am also the type to need at least 7-8hrs each night. I had no idea sleep problems were so extremely common!

    Reply
  14. Robin Masshole Mommy says

    November 17, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    All I need is for my husband to stop snoring in order for me to sleep well. It keeps me up all night.

    Reply
    • LIfe of a Ginger says

      November 18, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      Right?!? WTH? I swear some nights I want to hold the pillow over my husband's face until he stops breath— er… snoring. But I love him too much to do that. Plus, I would be a single mom with five freaking daughters to take care of!! No thank you!! 😉

      Reply
  15. traceyzimmer says

    November 17, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    These are great tips. I often have restless nights so I will try some of these out.

    Reply
  16. Amanda says

    November 17, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    I could always use more sleep. These are great tips.

    Reply
  17. Jeanine says

    November 17, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    Sleep is so important. Usually I get some great sleep but the past few days it's been awful. I'm really feeling it too, which SUCKS!

    Reply
  18. Amy says

    November 18, 2018 at 11:08 am

    I have been having some sleepiness nights lately. My anxiety wakes me up and keeps me up!

    Reply
  19. Pam says

    November 18, 2018 at 7:02 pm

    I have trouble getting to sleep sometimes. I am naturally a night owl and I know my sleep hygiene isn't great.

    Reply

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