The importance of sleep

Good sleep is vital. We see many people who are burning the candle at both ends, skipping sleep in order to cram more into their days.  It’s counterproductive. As busy moms, you know what we are talking about. If you don’t sleep properly, and for the optimum amount of time, you simply won’t function so well.  If you’re stressed, you’ll only increase your stress; the production of cortisol (one of the key stress hormones) only stops when we sleep.  Lack of sleep is blamed for up to 40,000 road crashes a year, bad decision-making in business and even such disasters as the Challenger space shuttle, the Three Mile Island nuclear power accident and the Chernobyl disaster.

How much sleep you need will depend entirely on you.  The majority of people function best with 7-8 hours; however some happily manage on 5 or 6 while others feel lousy with less than 9.  It’s very individual; there is no one-size fits-all prescription. 

The kind of sleep you get is as important as how much sleep you get.  Sleep is divided into three types: light, deep and REM (or dreaming) sleep.  If you lessen your hours of sleep, your body will automatically compensate –first by cutting down on light and then, if necessary, REM sleep, too.  Because REM sleep is when you dream, psychologists consider it to be an absolutely essential process. 

Sleep is the time when your body rests, repairs balances and regulates.  Lose sleep, and your immune system is lowered, your mental alertness dives and your mood plummets.  Research even shows that your sex life will suffer because sex hormones are suppressed when we’re deprived of sleep.   You will also notice the effect in the dark circles appear under your eyes and your face looks grey, stressed and lacking tone.  They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing. 

It's important that you take sleeping serious -- and napping. Many moms have a "to do" list that they try to do while the babies are taking a nap. Their nap time should be YOUR time. Try to do things on the to do list with your child or children, so by the time they take a nap you have less to do and more time for yourself to just relax. Do you have children who doesn't nap anymore? Decide a part of the day when they do a little bit less active things, you can do activities such as reading, drawing or lay a puzzle. It is important for a child to get a break during the day as well. 

Try these methods to get more out of every night's rest.

1. Get on a regular schedule: Following a regular schedule can improve the quality of your sleep by keeping your sleep phases consistent.
2. Open a window: Get some fresh air to improve the quality of your sleep.
3. Reduce or eliminate caffeine: Caffeine can mess with your energy levels and disrupt sleep patterns, so reduce or eliminate use of it, especially in the hours before you go to bed.
4. Only sleep in your bed: Use your bed exclusively for restful activities, not work or TV.
5. Meditate: Focus on relaxing to let yourself get better rest.
6. Stay away from the computer and TV: Backlit screens can stimulate your brain in a way that's not conducive to sleep.
7. Realize that sleep is vital: Give yourself all of the time you need to get a good night's rest.
8. Write out what's on your mind: Create a worry list to put things out of your mind and get to sleep.
9. Don't stress yourself out: Don't force yourself to sleep if you're not tired, or become worried when it takes you a while to get to bed. Sleep will come eventually.
10. Never go to bed hungry: Just like a too-large meal, going to bed with an empty stomach will disrupt your sleep.
11. Take a moment to relax before bed: Ease yourself into sleep with a good book, bath, or favorite TV show.
12. Don't stay awake in bed: If you can't fall asleep, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy again.
13. Keep your pets off the bed: Your pets can trigger allergies or movements in the bed, which can interfere with your sleep.
14. Use sunlight to improve your biological clock: Expose yourself to the sun first thing in the morning so that you reset your internal clock.
15. Exercise: Regular exercise will give you deeper, more restful sleep because your body needs physical exertion to recover from.
16. Don't drink a night cap: Even though alcohol can help put you to sleep, it will cause you to wake up during the night, even if you don't notice it.
17. Avoid excessive napping: If you nap too much during the day, you could throw off your sleep cycle and make it hard to get a good night's sleep.
18. Avoid drinking fluids before bed: Drink too much before bed, and you could find yourself waking up to urinate.
19. Make your bedroom a comfortable temperature: If your bedroom is too hot or too cold, you'll have a hard time getting to sleep and enjoying a full night's rest.