“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”~ Thomas Dekker
I know. I know.
We’re all mothers. We all deal with sleepless nights, middle-of-the-night feedings, sick kids who can’t sleep, pets who want to sleep in our bed.
Yes, sleep is probably the most sacrificed part of a mother’s life. I kid you not.
BUT…
Did you know that “Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Sleep deficiency also increases the risk of obesity. For example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep lost, the odds of becoming obese went up. Sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity in other age groups as well.
Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don’t get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you’re well-rested.” Not only that sleep has been linked to immunity, functioning productively {and peacefully, I might add!} and happier relationships as well. [Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute]
So, you do need to sleep better and probably longer as well.
How do you make that happen?
Read on.
Take Care of Yourself with Ease
Today’s self-care idea is to put you to sleep… slowly and steadily. I have a super easy-to-do mini challenge for you. These sleep tips are simple and yet easy to do.
Go to bed every night for a week at 8 or 9PM.
Resist the temptation to stay up and scroll through Facebook. Shut off notifications and put your phone on silent. Take a book with you to bed, if needed. Drink a glass of warm milk, if you’d like.
But make this happen. Go to bed every night for a week at 8 PM or 9PM.
I know you won’t be able to carry this sleep routine on forever {hey, I’m mother to TWO munchkins too!}; however for 1 week you will be able to catch up on sleep, get refreshed and when you have your have sleep, you’ll function better which means you’ll be a mother, partner, friend and person!
Take Care of Yourself with Intention
Are you up for the challenge? Go on, tell us in the comments or share with us on Facebook or Instagram, using the #30DaysCare hashtag. We want you to sleep better!
