Committing to motherhood means being ready to sacrifice your sleep for a lifetime. A little one keeps you awake for the first year. But you cannot expect uninterrupted nights even when the kids grow up. Sick nights, school routines, and endless task lists can disrupt your schedule. Stress can affect your sleep after the kids grow up and leave for college. Either way, you cannot sleep like a baby once you are a mommy. But you can try to make it a realistic goal without feeling guilty about shirking your parental duties. Here are some tried and tested sleep reclamation tips busy moms can rely on.
Understand the impact of deprivation
Mommies tend to take sleep deprivation frivolously because they do not understand its impact. Enduring it perpetually does more than make you tired and lethargic. It elevates the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity, poor immunity, heart disease, and high blood pressure. On the mental front, you may fall prey to anxiety, cognitive decline, and poor concentration. Knowing the risks makes you more conscious, so you likely look for a lasting solution.
Let go of perfection
Perfectionism is a flaw as it can stress you out, despite giving your best. Trying to do everything is one thing that moms should stop doing. You may end up losing sleep over dirty dishes, laundry loads, and tall grass in your garden. Ditch the guilt, and let things go unattended. You need not take on the whole world or finish every task perfectly. Simplify your priorities, and leave room for mistakes to keep insomnia at bay.
Find a natural remedy
Popping a pill sounds like an easy shortcut to dealing with sleep issues, but it is the last thing you should do. Medicines make you habitual and have side effects in the long run. Looking for a natural remedy is a better option. You can try herbal tea, dip in a warm tub at bedtime, and listen to soothing music. Cannabis makes an even better remedy because it serves as a safe and effective solution. You can easily buy edibles online since cannabis is now legal in Canada and several US states. Edibles are the ideal option because they provide lasting relief for longer hours.
Delegate tasks
Another simple hack to reclaim your sleep is by delegating tasks so that you get longer bedtime hours. Although moms can keep the primary duties, delegation makes life much easier. Let your partner do his bit, and assign age-appropriate responsibilities to your kids. Start early by asking your preschoolers to pick up their toys. You can later let the kids sweep, dust, wash dishes, and put away their clothes. Less workload increases your bedtime and reduces your stress levels.
Create realistic schedules
Creating realistic schedules is another surefire sleep reclamation measure for busy moms. New mommies have to work the hardest, as they need to align their sleep hours with the little ones. Consider factors like school times, work hours, household chores, and free time to allow yourself the rest you deserve. A realistic schedule is easy to adhere to, so develop it and build a habit.
Parenting and sleep deprivation go hand in hand, but busy moms can reclaim their bedtime hours by practicing these simple measures. Most importantly, put it on top of your priority list because you deserve it as much as anyone else..