When we think of moms and lack of sleep, we usually blame the baby. After all, they’re the ones with the tiny tummies that need to be refilled every three hours or so (or less) round the clock, who as often as not would rather be awake than asleep, and who often refuse to match their routines to the ones we’ve so carefully crafted for ourselves. So it can feel especially cruel when your little one is finally fast asleep and you can’t catch so much as a single Z.
New moms hear over and over (and over and over) that they should “sleep when the baby sleeps”, whether that’s at midnight or noon. But what if your baby is sleeping and you just…can’t? It’s not always so easy to just grab a nap when you know you only have a half hour or so and the sun is streaming through the windows. Even an attempt to drift off at your usual bedtime can turn into an exercise in frustration if you’re plagued by hormone-fueled anxieties, guilt, or other worries.
Author, yoga instructor, and mom Kate Hanley is here to help with some holistic help:
You can’t just flick a switch and go from multi-tasking mom to peaceful sleeper. Here are a few super simple mind-body techniques to help you relax mentally and physically so that your body’s natural ability to sleep when it needs to will be able to take hold. Sweet dreams.
Foot Massage
According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine and reflexology, the foot is a microcosm of the whole body. Hence, if you spend a few minutes massaging your feet, you’ll also be helping physical tension drain from your entire body. Spend two minutes rubbing each foot, using the richest moisturizing cream or oil you have. Knead your soles with your thumbs, gently fold your toes forward and back, wriggle all five fingers in between your toes and hold hands with your feet, and squeeze your heels. It not only feels great, it sends a message to your body and your brain that it’s time to let down its guard.
Extended Exhale Breathing
Once you’re lying down and comfortable, take a few deep breaths to start the process of turning your attention away from your thoughts and on to your body. Being inhaling to a count of three and exhaling to a count of six. If that count feels too long or too short for you, feel free to find your own count—just make sure your exhale is twice as long as your inhale. Exhales are the body’s means of getting rid of whatever it doesn’t need—carbon dioxide, yes, but also stress and stale thoughts, emotions, and attitudes.
Sleep-Inducing Acupressure
Lying on your back, rest your right palm on your breastbone (right in between your boobs, at nipple height)—the site of an acupressure point known as the Sea of Tranquility that helps the mind quiet, the breathing deepen, and the “spirit” (for lack of a better term) feel at home. Place your left palm on your solar plexus and breathe for a few minutes until you start to feel sleepiness settle in. Then move your right palm to your abdomen, just below your belly button, which further grounds you and helps you feel weighted and safe so you can begin to drift off…
Rescue Remedy
If you need a little extra oomph to actually fall asleep, this homeopathic remedy uses the essences of flowers to calm the nervous system and soothe emotions stuck on overdrive. You can buy it in health food stores and many mainstream drugstores, including Walgreens. They have a version especially formulated for sleeplessness caused by anxious thoughts, but I haven’t tried it yet—I’m still loyal to the plain ole Rescue Remedy since it has helped me through many a stressful time.
Still Point Inducer
This little rubber beauty (I like to call it “Boobs,” for its buxom appearance) is used in cranial sacral therapy to stimulate spots on the back of your head known as your “still points.” To use it, move your pillow away, lie on your back, and place it under your head, at the same level as your ears. All that’s left to do is lie still, breathe, and feel your thoughts slowly quiet down. I often have to struggle to stay awake long enough to put Boobs back on the bedside table.
For more self-care strategies from Kate, visit her at msmindbody.com and sign up for the Weekly Vegimental, or check out her book The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide.
And keep checking back at The Happiest Mom this week because every day, we’ll be talking about sleep. Are you getting enough?
Sometimes when I can’t sleep I’ll try to ‘sleep-nurse’ the baby. Those breastfeeding hormones can zonk me out pretty quickly, and it doesn’t usually wake the baby to have a quick nurse in the night.
I’m a total insomniac, and I’ve never had a harder time sleeping than I did when my babies were little and every little peep woke me up (and made it impossible to fall back asleep). Love these ideas. Thanks!
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