This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a new insomnia resource from the National Sleep Foundation.
I have always have had sleep issues. And I mean always! Lets take an inventory of NerdMom’s history of sleep weirdness:
1) As a toddler my mom would hire a baby sitter to keep me up at night while she was cocktail waitressing. While I understand why (so I would sleep when she did), it was not an auspicious start;).
2) I used to get bronchitis in elementary school and major sinus issues that would keep me up at night as I would hack all night.
3) I had mononucleosis not once, but twice in high school a year apart. I have been tired ever since. And since that was over 20 years ago…
4) I slept on a living room couch for a couple of years. The couch wasn’t the problem so much as the fact that it meant I couldn’t go to sleep until the rest of my night owl family did. And I couldn’t control the environment.
5) I have had 4 kids which means the pregnancies kept me up and then the babies;). Near the end of my pregnancies I was on a sleeping pill but that isn’t something I really wanted to keep doing.
You would think that after all that I would just be super tired and sleep well at night, right? Nope! I am always tired but at night, when I should sleep, I am wide awake. And this isn’t the good “get a bunch of things done while I am alone” awake. Nope, it is the “I am so tired but can’t turn off” awake. So I am not getting anything done. But I am so tired all day and can fall asleep anywhere if given a minute. And I mean it, I frequently fall asleep in the car when my husband drives us home in the car.
My husband says relax and I try… I have napped during the day, not napped during the day. I have done podcasts. But I will still be awake for at least an hour if not a couple. And that is valuable sleeping time that I want back in the morning!
The 1 thing I haven’t done that the experts at the National Sleep Foundation seem to recommend is having a set bedtime and wake time every day. I admit it, I get stuck doing something at night often. I will also grab every extra moment of sleep in the mornings so I get up at all different times. But I think this may be the key to getting to sleep for me! It take a while to have any habit kick in so I will report back in a few months and let you know how it works!
How do you sleep? My husband can be out in 10 minutes and my best friend is the same way. But I am not alone, right? Tell me your sleep stories!!!
Be sure to check out a new resource from the National Sleep Foundation at sleepfoundation.org/insomnia – a good place to start if you think you have insomnia or aren’t sleeping. The National Sleep Foundation is your trusted resource for everything sleep – understanding how sleep works & why it’s important, learning healthy habits, creating a relaxing bedroom & bedtime routine, & finding solutions to your sleep issues.
