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More often than not, a good night’s sleep can feel like something out of a fairy tale. For new parents, especially, getting restful sleep is tricky, but there are certain things you can do to set yourself up for success.
Here are a few common habits you may have that are preventing you from getting good sleep.
- Don’t Ignore An Old Mattress
A mattress isn’t exactly something most people can just buy at the drop of a hat. The markups on mattresses you find in stores is astronomical, and buying a mattress online can mean taking the risk of not getting a product you like.
However, with that being said, this shouldn’t stop you from taking control over the #1 problem that could be preventing you from getting good sleep.
With a little bit of research, you can find a great mattress within your price range. In fact, if you want a mattress for getting good sleep, you can generally find a decent one for under $300 if you do your research.
- No Naps!
If you want to get good rest at night, you need to be tired. Taking a nap during the day can seem incredibly tempting, but it can actually take away from your ability to get quality sleep during the night.
If your child is asleep during the day, take this opportunity to clean up around the house, or do another relaxing activity but avoid a nap unless absolutely necessary.
- Put Your Phone Away
Phone screens emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking its day time, and has been proven to making falling asleep more difficult.
Make sure you put away your phone and any other up-close light source away at least an hour before bedtime. You can also find red LED lights and put them in your room. The red light helps you sleep, as it has the opposite effect of the blue light.
- Don’t Procrastinate On Worrisome Issues
Another big thing that can prevent you from getting restful sleep is an anxious, busy mind. If you can, try to take care of everything important for the day that might cause anxiety if you procrastinate.
Going to bed without a mind full of worries can go a long way in helping you get asleep, and stay asleep.
- Don’t Eat Before Bed
Your body takes time to digest food, and if you have a meal or a snack within 2 hours of going to bed, your body is getting signals to “go!”. It just had a meal and is ready to use that energy.
Make sure all meals are eaten a significant amount of time before your bedtime to ensure digestion doesn’t get in the way of restful sleep.
Closing Thoughts
While diagnosable insomnia may only be treatable with medication, there is a lot you can do to help if you have minor issues falling asleep at night, such as what you might experience as a new parent.
Set yourself up for success by changing some bad bedtime habits and help yourself get good, restful sleep at night.
I have the hardest time putting my phone away!!
Sleep is more important than we realize for sure! Especially for our kiddos. I think it’s important to keep these things in mind. The only thing I didn’t think was correct was taking a nap. I thought if you take a quick (like 20 minutes maybe?) nap, it can help you sleep better at night. Either way, I don’t have time to nap and yes, it does sound tempting! LOL! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been struggling a TON with naps. I am exhausted by my kids and I often lay down to nap. But then I struggle to sleep at night. I need to just rally through without a nap.
Great tips! I really need to put away my phone at night! It will probably help my sleep.
These are all really great tips
The blue light from our smartphone screen is physically harmful for both our eyes and our brain. I really need to put away my phone .Thanks for posting ! These are really Informative tips. keep sharing such kind of posts in future .
Great tips….thanks for sharing this kind of tips with us
Great tips….thanks for sharing this kind of tips with us.
Great tips! I really need to put away my phone at night
Very helpful article. I read this article and learned many new tips about sleep. Thank you.
As usual, great article! Especially the part about the importance of a mattress. It is so true that an old, worn mattress has a significant impact on our sleep.