Self Care- Sleep

Is this you?

Or this?



I happen to be a very restless sleeper. It's usually because I have 10,000 things  running through my brain at all times. I like to get things done while Emma is asleep, maybe squeeze in one of my shows & then usually lay in bed & think of everything I should have gotten done, need to get done and usually stress about Emma, finances etc. creep in.
Before I was a parent I slept about 8-9 hours a night. After Emma, sleep went out the window. Emma did not sleep as an infant, most of my nights were spent pacing the kitchen, with the water & stove fan running to try & sooth my screaming child to sleep. Once she was asleep it usually lasted 1-2 hours and we would start all over again. When she was put on the feeding tube I had to set my alarm for every couple hours to switch out the formula (on top of Emma waking every couple hours) I was a frazzled, exhausted mess of a person. Now Emma is for the most part sleeping better, but she is in to everything, HARD & we are all over the place during the daytime. Once I get her to bed I feel like I need to get everything I couldn't do during the day done. I am averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep a night... which is way better than the 2-4 I was getting before... right? ;)

It is recommended that adults get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Not getting enough sleep is linked to :
* Increased risk of car accidents
Honestly I didn't think of this. With all the driving we do to & from activities, appointments etc.This one hit home & freaked me out.
*A greater risk of obesity- sleep deprivation causes an increased appetite
I have had a pretty big weight increase since my sleep went away. Something that is a huge struggle for me.
*Increased risk of heart disease & diabetes
*Increased risk of psychiatric  conditions including depression & substance abuse
*Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals & remember new information.

According to researchers Michael H. Bonnet and Donna L. Arand, "There is strong evidence that sufficient shortening or disturbance of the sleep process compromises mood, performance and alertness and can result in injury or death. In this light, the most common-sense 'do no injury' medical advice would be to avoid sleep deprivation."

All in all... I have made the decision to really work on getting more sleep. I have put a notebook by my bed so I can write things down if they pop in my head vs. worry about them. I have a cleaning schedule that I am follwoing that has my house TO DO's broken into 6 days. There is only so much I can do about the stresses of raisng a special needs child... but I can't help but wonder if I would be less stressed & do better during the day if I had more sleep. So I am starting slow... increasing to 7 hours of sleep & seeing how I do. If I can get away with just a couple more hours I will stay there, if not I will increase to 8.

I hope all of you can make sleep a priority for yourself! Good luck! 
*Lindsay