Sleep is so crucial if you want to maintain a healthy body and life.  If you don’t get enough sleep, you may experience brain fog, weight gain, sickness, and an overall sense of tiredness.  Parents, especially parents with newborns, often suffer from a lack of sleep.  I’m going to go over some ways that parents can get more sleep after looking at some sleep deprivation symptoms.

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

If you suffer from any, a few or all of the following symptoms, chances are good that you are sleep deprived.

1. Difficulty Concentrating
2. Tired
3. Frequent Mood Swings
4. Disoriented
5. Paranoia
6. Weight Gain
7. Insomnia
8. Stressful Feeling

Here Are Some Tips For Getting More Sleep

I’ve put together some tips that you can try to get more sleep in your busy life.  You may want to implement all of these or at the minimum one tip.  Do whatever it takes to get more sleep in.

Go To Bed When Your Children Do

It may be hard to make yourself go to bed when your children do.  It’s tempting and refreshing to want to stay up and have some quiet time to read a book or watch a tv show. But going to bed when our kids do, can give you some extra hours of sleep that your body may be craving.  If shutting off the lights at 8 PM seems too early, then make a deal with yourself to at least be in bed by a certain time.  You could read a book or watch tv from bed if you have a tv in your bedroom.  Try to make yourself shut down when your kids do, and you’ll soon see that you arise in the morning with more energy.

Keep The Family On A Sleep Schedule

The best way to get enough sleep is to schedule it in.  Then don’t only schedule it, but be diligent about following the schedule.  This means establishing bedtimes, watching the clock, and following through with each child’s sleep deadline. Once you get a routine going, your family will find it easier to hit the hay each night.  Try not to deviate from the schedule too much.

Co-Sleep With Your Newborn

Co-sleeping is not for everyone, and there are safety measures you should follow. But so many new parents or second or third-time parents find that they get much more sleep by having their newborn sleep with them.  I got some of the best rest when my baby was born.  I was no longer huge and pregnant, so sleep came so much easier.  With my daughter next to me in bed, I didn’t need to get up and feed her.  I’d hear her whimper and pull her close to breastfeed her, and then we’d both go back to a peaceful sleep.  Co-sleeping definitely has a lot of benefits.  It takes a lot of the stress out of life.

Don’t Rely On Caffeine In Replace of Sleep

I have a good guess that the people that really need to read this paragraph already skipped over it.  But seriously, consider how much caffeine you are putting in your body in substitution for a restful night’s sleep.  Caffeine can put you on a vicious addiction cycle of getting up in the morning, sleepy and reaching for coffee to get a jump start. You don’t have to cut caffeine out altogether, but try to cut back a little bit so that you aren’t using it as a crutch to not get a good nights sleep. Watch your sleep improve as you wean yourself off caffeine.

Share Nighttime Parenting

Some couples find it very helpful to have one night on and one night off for baby care.  A woman who is breastfeeding might wonder how that is going to work to her benefit.  The husband could still do nighttime diaper changes and hand the baby over to the mom for nursing.  A father could also rock the baby if he or she is having a hard time falling asleep.  Sometimes just a little break here and there is all parents really need. It helps to work together as a team.

Resist the Temptation To Get One More Thing Done Before Bed

As moms, it’s easy to stay up an extra few minutes as the baby and family fall asleep. There’s always one more little chore that you could get done.  But then when that task is finished, there’s always one more little thing to put away or clean up.  Let me break this to you bluntly.  The chores will never end. There will always be just one more thing to do. Forget it. Leave it and go to bed.  You can always get to it in the morning after getting some much-needed sleep.

Accept Help

If your spouse, family member, older child, or friend, says that they will watch your baby while you get some shut-eye, this is your cue to say “Thank you.”  Then take that much-needed nap.  It can be hard to accept help, I know.  But think of it this way – you are not going to be able to help others as well if you are tired.  You are going to be a better mom, wife, sister, and friend by giving yourself the rest that you need.  Airplane safety drills always have you put on your own oxygen mask first, before helping others.  There is a good reason for that advice, and it applies to getting your own sleep too.

Final Thoughts

I hope that as you read this article, you have become aware of how very important sleep is.  Not only is it unhealthy to be sleep deprived, but you will be a better person with adequate sleep.  I hope that these tips for getting more sleep may help you out.  Remember that sleep is as essential as hydrating your body and eating.  It really is that important.  And you deserve it.  Sleep will make you feel and enjoy life so much better. Good luck!