Get Your Sleep!

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I read a great article years ago…fat with research as to why it is key for moms to sleep. I remember the article shared about sleep’s benefit to one’s sanity, help in combatting postpartum depression, and also helping with weight loss.

But I can’t find the article, and it was GOOOOOD. *kicks self*

Since I like being able to prove my claim with science *snicker*, I turned to Google and found a couple of articles to give credibility to my above recollection about the benefits of adequate sleep for we mommies.

You see, Moms…we don’t get enough sleep, and that’s not good. Sleep is more than just “rest” or a way to “relax.” Sleep is a critical step toward sanity.

One of the articles I found was written by some smart people over there at the UC San Diego… they found sleep to be so important, they creatively titled their research document, BRAIN ACTIVITY IS VISIBLY ALTERED FOLLOWING SLEEP DEPRIVATION.

Dudes. Fa Realz.

Read it. Do it…

Not getting the sleep we need makes us crazy. C to the R-A-Z-Y. It seems sleep is especially at a premium when we have newborns. Now, I don’t have a specific tip on how to actually get more sleep other than the old standby, “sleep when baby does.” It’s not easy, and yes when baby sleeps it may very well be the only time other things get done…but our brains need us to sleep. I WISH I had chosen to sleep more during those difficult newborn days.

Also, word on the street is lack of sleep inhibits weight loss. Psychology Today recently wrote,

Much has been made recently of the connection between insufficient sleep and weight gain, and this has been explained by changes in the hormones which govern hunger and satiety, leptin and ghrelin. However, this study presents a tantalizing new possibility: that one’s metabolism is increased during sleep, leading to more calories burned, and weight loss.

Ladies. Really. Plus, it’s fun! Sleeping is FUN! Let’s look at this another way…Sleep + enough of it = sanity, weight loss and time away from the kids! This looks like a no brainer! I. Know!

Yet, last night…I was roused from a deep slumber no less than 3 times because my four year old is afflicted with “itchy skin, mommy.”

I know. It is not as easy as just getting more sleep. There is always a trade-off. But having experienced some extreme effects of sleep deprivation that has taken years (and still more) to recover from…I sit firmly in the camp that one should fight for sleep. It is not only a gift to ourselves, but to everyone we love. I felt like sleep meant I was being lazy or irresponsible. Turns out it was the other way around.

Now, go rest. Even if you do not have a newborn. Sleep is GOOD! You have permission AND research!

photo credit: Jenny On The Spot

Jenny Ingram is the mother of three children (ages 4, 7 and 10) and lives near Seattle in Washington state. She loves writing here at Type-A Mom, for her own blog (Jenny On The Spot), and has a passion for encouraging moms in this journey…for she has been encouraged. You can also find her on Twitter!

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