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How to get more sleep as a mom

February 5th, 2008 - health, mom, nap, parenting, sleep, sleeping, tired

Getting some shut-eye isn't easy when you're a mom, but sleep can boost your mood, help you cope–and even make it easier to drop a few of those post-pregnancy pounds. Here's how to get more zzz's.

by: Terry Carson

Sleep for mom

  • Not getting enough sleep can affect your ability to cope and have a domino effect on the rest of your family.
  • A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found moms who slept fewer than five hours a night when their babies were six months old were more likely to retain pregnancy weight than moms who got more rest.
  • The best way to get the sleep you need is to ask for help from friends, family or neighbors.
  • Whenever possible, enforce naptime–for your baby, toddler and for you.
  • If your kids aren't sleeping, chances are you aren't either. Invest in a good book on sleep solutions to get everyone on schedule.

Moms with young children are often short on sleep, but have a hard time balancing their needs with keeping track of their kids, house, work and husband. And it's hard enough getting one child on a sleep schedule, but when baby number two (or three, or four) arrives, it can be overwhelming and affect your sleep too. What many women don't realize is that, in order to cope, a mom must take care of her own needs first, then she can better see to everyone else's.


Why you need sleep
Sleep deprivation can affect your coping skills and heighten feelings of frustration and irritability. And when moms experience difficult emotions on an ongoing basis, there is a domino effect on the rest of the family.
A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School also found that sleep can affect how you lose your post-pregnancy weight. Researchers found that mothers who slept five hours or fewer a day when their babies were six months old had a higher risk for substantial weight retention (11 pounds or more) at their baby's first birthday compared to moms who got seven hours of sleep.

How to get it
Before you attempt to juggle all the pressures of parenting, you need to safeguard your own health and get some sleep yourself. Here are some tips for how to do it:

1.  Ask your husband to take some shifts on the weekends so you can nap. That way you can catch up on some of your lost sleep from the week.  

2. Call in the troops. Whether it's your mom or sister or a friend...find someone who can come in and take the kids off your hands. If it's a neighbor you trust, offer to reciprocate in some way. Perhaps you could offer to swap kids and give her a break, or bake her favorite dessert. The key is to find help so you can get a few extra winks in during the day.

3. Sleep when the baby sleeps. As soon as your baby takes an afternoon nap, drop everything and crawl under the covers. If you have a toddler too, make sure everyone naps at the same time. If your little one resists, persevere–try putting him into your bed and lying down together.  

4. Get a book on solving sleep problems with children. As one of the Trusted Advisors for Chapters/Indigo Books, I recommend The Sleepeasy Solution:  The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep–From Birth to Age 5 by Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack. It's one of the best out there and these gals are Hollywood's favorite experts, having helped celebs like Ben Stiller and Greg Kinnear. There is plenty of advice for parents who need to help their children be better sleepers. Once your children are sleeping well, you'll be better able to get the rest you need.

I've never been embarrassed to call on the "village" to help me out with parenting issues. Many of us live in urban centers, not in small towns. Yet I have found that the spirit of the village is alive and well in the city with our neighbors, friends and family members. Don't be shy about asking for help. If you feel you have to reciprocate, ask how you can do this–you may be surprised at how generous people can be.


Meet our expert:

Terry Carson is one of the first life coaches in North America to work exclusively with parents. In addition to having a Master's degree, Terry is a trained and certified coach with the International Coach Federation, as well as a certified Coach-Parenting TM coach. As a mother of four, she understands how patience and consistency are needed to face the challenges and demands of parenting in today's world. Outside of her private practice, she reaches audiences throughout North America by writing articles, giving lectures, keynote speeches, workshops, tele-classes, parent group coaching sessions, and corporate Lunch'n'Learns. A published magazine author, she now offers time-strapped parents her CD, Excuse Me!, a series of how-to methods for teaching children to interrupt politely and get rid of whining. www.theparentingcoach.ca