Here are some Top Tips for sleeping for mummas from our very own Leesa Young! I love having experts on the blog to give you some helpful tips. If you would like to learn more from Leesa, her details are below.
Leesa Young Wellness Simplified Naturopath & Holistic Nutritionist 0400 077 220 Sleep - it’s pretty elusive in the early years of motherhood. I know for me, the first few years of parenting my daughter were a blur of sleepless nights and exhausted days. A good night’s sleep seemed to be something that would never come again. Even when my daughter started sleeping through the night (hallelujah!) I still found myself sleeping lightly and waking multiple times during the night for months afterwards, so the exhaustion still hung around. Add to that subsequent pregnancies and babies, and it’s quite realistic for mothers to experience sleep deprivation for years on end. In this article I’d love to share with you some of the things I’ve learned since then, in my work as a women’s health naturopath, which I use to help the women I work with. I hope they help you too! How important is sleep to good health? Firstly - what’s the deal with sleep? Just how important is it? Turns out, sleep is one of the fundamental elements of good health. Without good quality sleep, and enough of it, our bodies consider themselves to be under stress, and a number of negative health issues can grow from this. · We can’t think clearly; · we don’t recover or heal as quickly; · we are less resilient to stress; · our immune systems are less functional; · and our metabolism shifts in the direction of pre-diabetic functioning, meaning poor blood sugar control, increased weight gain and more difficulty losing weight, and depleted energy reserves. So - what can we do about it when we have a young family that interrupts our sleep? Is it possible to get good sleep with young kids? When I work with women in clinic who have chronic sleep deprivation, the first thing we’ll do is look for ways to increase the amount of sleep they can get. Before I talk about these strategies, please know that I understand some of these will simply not be practical for everyone - for example, if you have other kids to care for, or there’s no other adult in the house to help out, or when you have to go back to work early etc - but don’t despair, you can just skim over this bit and then check out the “improving sleep quality” section below!
Making sleep a priority for tired mums
Some things that can be helpful, if they suit your circumstances:
Make sleep a priority - this is the underlying concept that we need to become more comfortable with, whether we’re mothers of small children or not! For at least the first year after birth, sleep needs to be a priority for both you and your baby.
Sleep when the baby sleeps - you hear it all the time, but most of us don’t do it! Whatever plans you had for when your baby or toddler is sleeping, your physical and emotional health is more important. So, lie down in a quiet room with a warm blanket and allow yourself to rest when you can.
Go to bed early - in the early months of motherhood, getting a good amount rest overnight can go a long way towards reducing your sleep debt, even when your baby is waking multiple times during the night. Prioritising sleep and getting to bed early can make a significant difference to your recovery, your ability to function and meet challenges during the day, and your ability to respond to your little one.
Take a nap in the afternoon - if you have someone else who can sit with your little one, even for half an hour, take this opportunity to take a nap. While not as restorative as a deep overnight sleep, napping can still help recharge your batteries and give you a break from being constantly “on” throughout the day, even when your kids stop taking their daytime naps.
Sleep Quality vs Sleep Quantity
So what do we do if your circumstances mean you can’t increase the quantity of sleep you get right now? There is still plenty you can do to improve the quality of your sleep. This will go a long way to making you feel better, and improving your overall health and well-being.
Sleep quality is a term used to describe how restorative our sleep is - it considers factors such as how much deep sleep you get, how undisturbed your sleep is, how stable your blood chemistry is during sleep (hormones like cortisol, insulin and adrenaline can impact sleep quality) and how refreshed you feel when you wake up.
This is where you can make some changes that will have a tangible impact on how well you sleep. Here are 6 great tips for changes to your lifestyle to help with sleep.
Good sleep hygiene - keep your bedroom cool, quiet, dark and inviting; avoid blue light (screens – phone, laptop, TV) for one hour before bed; make your bedroom a phone-free zone wherever possible
Cut out coffee & alcohol – both of these are significant disrupters of sleep quality both for you and your bub, so avoiding these substances altogether is really helpful
Get outside during the day - sun exposure is very important for regulating sleep cycles, and getting some sun on your face first thing in the morning is really helpful.
De-stress – learn some tools to help you cope with the physical impact of stress – for example using breathing exercises, meditation, restorative yoga, even 5 minutes with a cup of tea in a sunny spot can help recharge your resilience batteries
Stick to a sleep schedule – our bodies love routine, so going to bed & getting up at the same time every day can really help your body regulate your sleep cycle
A nourishing, whole-foods diet - focusing on lots of good-quality protein, healthy fats and plenty of fresh veggies, will help stabilise blood sugar and replenish your energy levels, and help reduce sleep interruptions caused by dysregulated blood sugar.
Additionally, if you have to wake up to your child during the night, aim to make it as smooth and uneventful as possible - respond before they are distressed, leave lights off, take a calming breath before you get up, have some positive or at least neutral affirmations you can use to keep you from developing a negative association with night waking. The calmer you are, the more effectively you’ll be able to calm your child and respond to their needs, and help both of you get back to sleep easily.
What about herbs & supplements?
There’s always a few tools in the naturopathic toolkit to help tired mamas get a better night’s sleep. Some of the most common things I use:
Magnesium - depleted by stress, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and we need extra when stressed and sleep-deprived - it’s rare to find a mama who won’t benefit from some supplementation!
Herbal teas – chamomile and passionflower are lovely soothing herbs to drink in the evening to prepare the body for sleep, and are safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding (so long as you aren’t allergic!)
There are definitely some herbs that are really helpful for supporting women dealing with sleep deprivation. As with all herbal medicines, consulting with a suitably qualified herbalist/naturopath is essential to make sure you get the right herbs for your situation - they are more potent than herbal teas and it’s important to consider side effects and interactions in every case. With that in mind, here are some of the herbal approaches I use for tired mamas:
Sleep-specific herbs - these directly help with either sleep onset (how easily you fall asleep) or sleep maintenance (staying asleep/falling back to sleep easily if woken) or a combination of the two. Some of my favourites include passionflower, valerian and withania
Nervous system tonics - these help soothe shattered nerves, reduce symptoms of stress, and can help with clearing the foggy brain
Adaptogens and Adrenal restoratives - essential for most mamas, these help nurture the over-worked adrenal glands and help your body deal with the constant “fight-or-flight” tendencies of motherhood, gently helping increase your resilience and help your body respond more effectively to stress.
If you think herbal medicine may be helpful, please always consult with a practitioner to ensure you get the right remedy for your specific circumstances.
I hope this has been helpful! Many of these suggestions are really simple and may seem unlikely to help, but you’d be surprised the difference a few small tweaks can make.
And it’s always important to remember: If you’re feeling really fatigued and are concerned, always seek medical advice. There are a number of conditions that can affect mothers that may be dismissed as simple fatigue. Speaking to your doctor and investigating any medical reasons for your fatigue is essential to ensure they are identified and treated as early as possible.
Leesa Young Wellness Simplified Naturopath & Holistic Nutritionist 0400 077 220
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