Sleep: How to get it (Sponsored)

sleep_ how to get it

this post is sponsored by SleepMaker

Some people keep a sleep diary. This is how mine would go:

Dear Log,
It’s has been approximately 2,555 nights since my last decent sleep. Occasionally, my captors give me some relief and allow me a night without interruption, but it only serves as false hope. If I ever get a chance to escape, I can’t sleep 4am. My body has been ruthlessly trained to crave more sleep and yet be unable to gain it. Sometimes the youngest captor, who is by far the master at sleep interruption, will allow me nights and nights of sleep. When that happens, the eldest captor (who taught the younger all he knows) will wake with a variety of complaints – nightmares, a need for water, growing pains. They have cleverly worked together to make sure that I will never sleep a full night again…

Maybe I am exaggerating (maybe I’m not) but a thing that was once taken for granted is now a VERY BIG DEAL. And is for every mother of young children I know. How do we get more sleep? And when sleep is in short supply, how do we improve its quality?

There are a few things you can do to up your chances of a good quality sleep.

  1. Have a regular night-time routine. Body clocks are sensitive things. Going to sleep and waking at the same time each night and day helps you settle into sleep more quickly. Now just let your baby know that.
  2. Ban technology from the bedroom. The blue-light that emits from our screens inhibits the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Aside from the science of it all, it’s far too easy to spend hours scrolling through various feeds and not sleeping.
  3. Capture and let go of the 3AM worries. Have a notepad beside the bed to capture  the 3AM worries/ideas/things that keep you up at night. Once you have released them to a page you can worry about them (later) in the morning.
  4. Use a relaxation exercise. If you just can’t get to sleep, try tensing and releasing each muscle in your body, from your toes up to your head. Concentrate on the sensation of release. You might even fall asleep by the time you get to your knees.
  5. Keep a glass of water by the bed. Particularly if you are breast feeding, you need to keep well hydrated. And no-one wants to get up if they don’t have to.
  6. Think positively about the sleep you will be getting. I remember those nights – when I’d just finish feeding the baby and I’d shuffle back into bed, calculating exactly how much sleep I might be getting before the next session. And being so depressed about it that it hardly seemed worth the effort of shutting my eyes. Try not to fall into that trap. Try to be as positive as you can about the sleep windows you do get. If you do struggle to go to sleep quickly though then you could try out something like this sleep balm to help you fall asleep faster.
  7. Get a comfortable and supportive mattress. Let’s be honest. If your mattress and pillows are uncomfortable the other stuff won’t make much difference. Mattress protectors can improve the lifespan of your mattress – and we’d advise getting one as it will help to keep it comfortable. We also strongly recommend reading plenty of reviews from different sites such as leesa vs casper to get a good idea of what to expect from the mattress you are planning on purchasing. The last thing you want is to buy a really expensive mattress and then find out that the quality is no where near as good as you expected.
I have to smile at new parents-to-be, spending hours and hundreds on the perfect cot for their newest addition. In reality, the kid would sleep perfectly well in a prettily upholstered laundry basket (they call them Moses baskets I believe). My advice is to worry less about the kid’s bedding and more about upgrading your own.

Why? 

  • Even if you aren’t into co-sleeping, there will be a time when your kids come into your bed. They might be unwell, they might be up a bit on the early side (like 4am), it might be Christmas morning and they are way too excited to sleep or they might just need an extra cuddle. The fact is that once you have kids, you need more real estate in the bedding arena.
  • If you are sharing a bed with your partner, they are also likely to be sleep deprived. Two sleep deprived people sharing a bed is hardly a recipe for a content and happy house-hold. A bed that can cater for both of your sleeping styles and help you both get good quality sleep is a great investment.
  • You need a mattress that will help you get back to sleep as quickly a possible when sleep windows are narrow. You don’t want to be wriggling around trying to find the (only) comfy spot.
  • Back ache is very common in mums. Pregnancy itself is no joke on the lower back and then it’s followed up by spending hours in one position when feeding your baby. Even once bubba is weaned, carrying them everywhere adds further strain. A mattress that supports your poor, abused back is essential for new parents. You certainly don’t want your mattress excaserbating any existing back issues (which can happen with an older mattress). SleepMaker have some more tips on managing back pain and how a supportive mattress can help here.
  • Sleep deprivation might be something mums joke about but it’s no laughing matter. You know what it’s like when you don’t have enough sleep. When you cry at the drop of a hat. When everything seems overwhelming. When you feel like you would give your right arm for just one night’s decent sleep. When you feel like you aren’t quite sure if you are going to make it. I really think that anything that can alleviate that feeling is worth investing in.

If you are in the market for a new mattress, SleepMaker has a great tool to help you select your perfect bed. It’s a very simple, graphic-based, online questionnaire that gives you a few options to consider and points you in the right direction of where to buy. Large purchases in our household are always preceded by research. If it’s the same around your place, the SleepMaker website and mattress selector is an excellent place to start your mattress search. And, if you are about to welcome a little bundle of joy into your life, really think about whether your existing mattress is going to support you through it.

this post is sponsored by SleepMaker

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 What’s your number one sleep tip?
Did you get a new mattress before babies arrived?

30 thoughts on “Sleep: How to get it (Sponsored)

  1. Bec Bowyer says:

    Also: make sure you buy a good quality mattress for your kids beds when they’re out of the cot. Chances are Mum and will both sleep there at some point! I swear my 5yo’s bed is more comfortable than mine 😉

    • Robyna says:

      I think sometimes you just need to realise that sleep isn’t going to happen and use the time differently. Hopefully you make it up somewhere else (bet you don’t though). Oh well, there will come a time when they won’t want those sleep cuddles.

    • Robyna says:

      I am a morning person and it always feels like I get the raw end of the deal when the kids are up too – I just want to use my most productive time productively!

  2. Lydia C. Lee says:

    I occasionally get insomnia, so I just get up and read in the bath – I figure if nothing else I have a nice ‘me’ time for an hour or two…and then I seem to fall straight to sleep afterwards…just missing 2 or 3 hours sleep…(I also think doing more exercise during the day will help, but I may’ve just invented that)
    Lydia C. Lee recently posted…Little Prince goes golfing…My Profile

  3. Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says:

    We are totally in the market for a new mattress. I am waking with headaches coming from back, neck and shoulder pain (further agitated by fibromyalgia). When on holidays it didn’t happen. Doesn’t even happen if I sleep on the couch. Only in our marital bed. Which screams to me YOU NEED A NEW MATTRESS. Top of my list of financial priorities …

  4. Tegan says:

    My one tip is just go with the flow. Ignore all of the naysayers who tell you that you are doing it wrong and just do what you have to do to get some shut eye. A child who refused to sleep for any decent amount of time for 4 years taught me not to judge other people’s sleeping arrangements.
    Tegan recently posted…Caged by a diagnosisMy Profile

  5. Bec Senyard says:

    Our kids don’t come into bed with us if they wake in the night. We either take them back to bed or if it’s early in the morning, put them in front of the TV (and we head back to bed!). Sleep is so important for parents. I remember telling my husband our kids would not be in our bed when I was pregnant with our first. Then we had Esther and when she wouldn’t settle, she was smack bang in our bed between our pillows where we all got some shut eye. It’s necessary to do what you can to get precious sleep because it’s hard to live without it.
    Bec Senyard recently posted…Back-to-School Fashion Ideas for MumsMy Profile

    • Robyna says:

      It so is – you just have to do whatever works. The littlest comes in at about 4am and it’s so close to wake up time anyways, I can’t be bothered putting him back.

  6. Robyn says:

    Oh god I love my bed. We really spashed out on a mattress and it was the best investment we ever!! I love the tip on capturing the 3am worries, they seems to be my worst sleep their (that and the toddler) x

  7. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says:

    No babies here, except the man baby, of course! We splashed out on the biggest bed we could fit in and the best mattress we could afford (it was an Ergoflex and it’s one of the best things we ever bought!) Since my husband’s stroke, we’ve really been working on our sleep hygeine, going to bed and waking up at the same (sort of) time has made a huge difference. Still working on evicting technology from the bedroom though…
    Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid recently posted…The Ultimate Rabbit Hole #51My Profile

    • Robyna says:

      We never let the tech in, which I think has helped. I think the waking and going to sleep at the same time thing really does work – and it makes sense that our bodies get used to certain times.

  8. Shari from GoodFoodWeek says:

    Argh sleep – how I miss you. I have a one and a two year old, so I normally am woken a few times each night. Actually, my eldest isn’t too bad, it is my youngest who likes to cause trouble. Yet, in saying that, I am keen to add to our brood and think that I’d rather get the whole ‘sleepless nights’ over in a single block rather then finally get everyone sleeping through the night, only to go back to the start when another baby arrives. Three under three – maybe I am a sucker for punishment?
    Shari from GoodFoodWeek recently posted…Recipe: Sticky pork and crispy noodle saladMy Profile

    • Robyna says:

      Three under three is hard work (from what I see) but seems to pay dividends when they are older and always have someone close in age to play with.

    • Robyna says:

      Yep – we went for the biggest bed we could as well. Although the toddler still manages to sleep in some weird way where he takes up ALL the room.

  9. Hugzilla says:

    Fantastic tips! Having a comfy bed is SOOOOO important. It’s one thing that we don’t skimp on ‘cos that is priceless. I do all of the above, and failing that – sometimes it takes a sneaky dose of Mersyndol night strength as a last resort.

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