Sleeping Tips for Parents with Newborns

After you have a new born baby you might not remember and fun activity that involves completely closing your eyes, laying horizontal, and staying that way for at least eight hours a night. It shows that at least 76% of parents have sleeping problems and I wouldn't doubt it! There are so many lucky parents including myself that have had the joys of a baby. Clearly, sleep deprivation, due to a newborn can cause problems of insomnia. The good news is that there are strategies to getting the best rest when you do have a chance to take on sleep. When I went to lay down and sleep after the baby decided she was tired, was I couldn't fall asleep right away and stay in a comfortable deep sleep. I would chose a solid 5 hours of deep sleep than a 8 hours of constantly waking.

I did a little research online and I figured out that the first thing you need to do to get better sleep is to understand sleep. The most common mistake individuals make is they think sleep is one solid state of mind, but its not. There are two types if sleep: One being REM, and Non-REM. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is known as dream sleep, and Non-REM has four stages. Stage one is being drowsy and this is when your body starts to relax. Stage two, body and eye movement stop and your brain waves slow down (this is when you "fall asleep"). Stage three and four are called deep sleep. This just happens to be my favorite stage! When all is calm, breathing slows down and the body ceases response.

In order to complete the four stages properly it takes about 90 minutes and then REM moves in. Before you go to bed you need to do an activity so that you can fall into these 90 minutes. If you keep waking up you will restart your 90 minutes again, until you fall asleep. Below are some helpful things you can do to get your body in sleep mode.

Relaxation Techniques for Parents with Newborns (or if you just need some good solid sleep)

Yoga & Stretching

Consider renting or buying a yoga video so you can relax in the comfort of your own home. Create your own routine: Laying on your back, slowly pull your knees to your chest and grasp them. After that hold for 45 seconds and breathe deeply. There are many techniques you can get in the video to get ideas for your nightly routine. Another one, Clasp your hands together, feet stretched apart and then bring your hands above your head and point to the sky. Repeat three times in 45 second intervals. Yoga has helped me relax and found focus after all the calamity.

Massage

Most people don't have the time or money to go get a massage or to have a personal masseuse on call. Let your partner knead out tension in your neck. It works better if you do yoga and stretching first. If your spouse is also having problems sleeping do each other a favor and partner up and let this neck massage last for 10 minutes. This should be enough time to get your entire neck area. I know you're tired, but just take 10 minutes to do this neck massage and it pays off when you instantly fall asleep.

Deep Breathing

Yoga and stretching is a good relaxer because it allows deep breathing. Taking slow, deep breaths eases muscle tension and lowers your heart rate. This speeds up your 90 minute Non-REM. Which is good because you fall asleep faster: Close your mouth and breathe in slowly thorough your nose and then exhale through your mouth. It might help to put your hand on your stomach so you can feel the air going in and leaving. Repeat this until your body completely relaxes. It varies from person to person.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Lie on your bed and close your eyes and clinch your fists and body. Clinch your first one hand at a time (Right than Left). At this point your face, jaw, shoulders, chest, stomach, thighs, stomach and shoulders should be clenched. Hold this position for about a minute and then let go. After about 20 - 30 minutes your body should feel completely relaxed.

Imagery

This one helps too. If you imagine yourself at a relaxing place this can calm you, but I wouldn't recommend only doing this to get to sleep. It would be a great idea if you can incorporate all of the above ideas into one routine and this being your last step.

Little Helpful Tips

1. Don't drink coffee after six. It puts caffeine in your body. A lot of individuals say that coffee helps them relax but that's not the case. Try drinking a warm glass of milk.

2. Don't eat after eight. If your stomach is full it will be harder to go to bed and if you ate something naughty it could cause an upset stomach.

3. Be patient with your baby.

4. If you experience the signs of post-parton depression you need to immediately see a doctor. This is harmful for you and the baby if you don't get treated.

5. Buy a CD with the sounds of nature. This really helped me relax and zone external obsolesce from outside of the home.

Let me know how the exercise went. I would love to hear back from you and if you find more tips I would love for you to share!