Adequate sleep is the key to good health. But most of the young mothers are not able to sleep for eight hours. This permanent loss of sleep leads to insomnia.
During sleep, the body produces hormones, restores the tissues, and replenishes the physical strength. In this article, we will share the most effective ways, especially for young mothers, to help you fall asleep quickly.
How To Beat Insomnia?
1- Use The Bed Only For Its Intended Purpose
Don’t turn your bed into a dining or workspace. Start using it only for its intended purpose – for sleep (and sex). This piece of furniture should be strongly associated with relaxation. This technique allows you to develop a conditioned reflex to your own bed. Every time you lie on it, your brain will receive a signal that it is time to fall asleep.
The quality of bedding can also affect sleep. This is a good reason to buy new comfy pillows and a mattress. Research shows that sleeping under a weighted blanket (about 10% of your weight) is very beneficial. It helps relieve anxiety, calms you down, and helps to relax. When buying bed linen, opt for products made from natural fabrics.
2- Adjust Your Biological Clock
Adequate sleep patterns are essential for mental and physical health. Try to wake up and fall asleep at the same time every day. So you will program your biological clock and will be able to normalize sleep. Our body has a special control system – circadian rhythms. They give the body the mindset to stay awake in the morning and sleepy in the evening.
Once you adjust to the new schedule, falling asleep quickly, and waking up easily will be much easier. Experts believe that an adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep to maintain youth, health, and high productivity.
3- Let Some Fresh Air In
Like body temperature, bedroom air temperature is essential for a good rest. The optimal indicator is 17-18 degrees. For people who want to get rid of insomnia and headaches should maintain it throughout the night.
Sleeping in a warm room is more superficial and disturbing. And if you put on warm socks and pajamas, the probability of freezing gets to zero. In addition, special pillows with a cooling effect are available in many stores today. They will be especially relevant in the summer heat.
4- Give Up Bad Habits
What we do during the day affects the night’s sleep. Our habits play a major role in the quality of our sleep. Habits like alcohol abuse, smoking, eating fatty foods can lead to insomnia. If you are addicted to alcohol and insomnia has become a part of your life, you can contact the alcohol abuse hotline. They can suggest you effective coping strategies and medication.
5- Take A Walk Before Bed
A half-hour evening walk in the fresh air is even more effective. Slow walking activates metabolic processes, relieves stress, improves immunity, and ensures healthy sleep. Even a small city square is suitable for this purpose. The main condition is to finish all planned tasks in advance and not think about work.
Walking before bed should have a calming effect. In the warm season, you can increase its duration to one and a half hours. A longer walk, on the other hand, is likely to cause fatigue and sleep disturbance. Try to arrange your route in such a way as to avoid places with heavy traffic and crowds.
6- Start Eating Sleepy Food
Before going to bed, it is better to give up heavy foods and sweets. But a light snack a couple of hours before bedtime, on the contrary, will improve your nighttime metabolism and make it easier to fall asleep.
This can be natural yogurt, half a banana, chamomile tea, almonds, a boiled egg, or classic milk with honey. By the way, the latter has about the same effect as a hot bath. But products with caffeine are best left for the first half of the day. Studies show that this substance can remain in the blood for 6-8 hours.
Caffeine is present in chocolate, coffee, soda, and energy drinks. It will be easier to overcome insomnia if you add foods that promote the production of melatonin and serotonin to your usual diet. Among them are turkey meat, salmon, cheese, walnuts, and whole-grain bread.
7- Create The Right Atmosphere
Try to eliminate any sources of noise and dim bright lights one hour before bed. Harsh sounds and artificial lighting excite the nervous system and make it difficult to fall asleep. If a relative snores or your house is on a noisy street, buy earplugs. For sleep, it is better to choose hypoallergenic silicone products. They help keep unwanted noise out and do not irritate the skin.
Research shows that darkness increases the production of melatonin. Blackout night curtains that do not let light through will help to provide it. An alternative is a special sleep mask. Even the flickering of a light bulb from charging can suppress the synthesis of the sleep hormone.
8- Do A Light Self-Massage
A light relaxing massage is a good way to relieve physical and emotional stress and normalize sleep. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on muscle tone, blood vessels, and heart function. You can do this massage both with the help of loved ones and on your own. Before the procedure, it is important to completely relax: take 8-10 deep breaths and exhalations.
After that, warm up your palms by intensively rubbing them against each other. Begin to gently massage your face, earlobes, neck, and shoulders. Moving from top to bottom, smoothly move to the chest and abdomen, feet. At the same time, try not to press too hard – during such a massage.
9- Go In For Sports
Regular exercise can help solve many sleep problems. Swimming, dancing, jogging, gym work, and other physical activities not only help relieve built-up stress but also improve the quality and duration of sleep. Don’t forget about planning time for exercise.
Heavy and intense training is best done before 7 pm. The most suitable options for a later time are yoga, stretching, and walking. If your busy schedule doesn’t allow you to go to the gym, try combining exercise with other activities.
Conclusion
Sleeping problems are becoming a part of many people’s lives, especially young mothers. However, by following the above tips, you can resolve this problem and improve your sleep quality.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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