Take a Look At Your Sleep Habits

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I don’t know many moms that are my age. Of course that’s not a problem, I’m not bothered that most of my friends don’t have kids; they love my daughter like their own and embrace my motherhood. I love them for that.

There are certainly difference in our lifestyles among my non-mom friends and me. Come Monday mornings we talk about the parties they went to, the bars they drank at, or the dates they went on. I, in return, tell them about crayons on my wall, the new Elmo video my daughter loves, and the new words she is saying. I’m blessed that my friends genuinely take interest in those things (though I’m not always sure why).

While my friends’ lives are fun, I am happy being a mom. The only thing I miss, that I wish for, that I envy, from my non-mom friends is their sleep. Those glorious hours of sleeping in on a Sunday or a nice weekend cat nap. I miss my hours of uninterrupted deep luxurious sleep, the feeling of being well rested.

Now, I work through naps and clean after the sun goes down, all the while hoping my baby girl won’t wake up before I get things done. Those precious hours when my daughter is asleep are my hours to take care of me and the house. Work, cleaning (what cleaning?), showering and more all tend to out rank my want for sleep.

While I’m sure all moms struggle with the sleep battle I wonder if it’s just a more dominate issue in your 20′s, especially when surrounded by friends who sleep in on the weekends while you are up at 7am making breakfast.

While we may sacrifice precious hours of sleep to take care of other needs remember to make sure you are getting enough sleep. Moms work around the clock and it is always important to take care of ourselves. Sleep ensures that the body is rested, working well, and helps keep you healthy. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many health issues so make sure you rest up!

Start with once or twice a week, go to bed an hour or two earlier then you normally would, or take a nap with your kids. This might require you to re-prioritize some things but the extra hours of ZZZs will be much better for you and your family in the long run. Worried you won’t get everything done? Feel free to ask for help. Ask your husband to take over a chore, ask a family member to come play with your kids while you clean, or arrange a play date to get a block of free time to get things done. Remember sleep is important, necessary, and vital to our well being.

Remember as moms we need to take care of ourselves. A well rested and happy mom is a well rested and happy family.

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