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I love to sleep. I could be a professional napper. But sometimes I just don’t get as much as I wish I could. Sometimes it’s the kids in my bed or my brain running wild in the night. Other times it’s me staying up too late doing something important like a Netflix binge. Today I want to tell you why those nights when you didn’t get in the hours you wanted don’t have to create problems for you the next day. This is simple but has been life changing for me.
Oh my gosh Jody, this episode is perfect timing for me, thank you! Last night I slept in my 3 year old daughters room because she was sick and having a rough time. As a result my night was filled with constant interruptions and not much sleep. I woke up in the morning very tired and now sick myself. After getting my other kids off to school for the day, I climbed back in bed and announced to my daughter that we were going to have a sleep party today and be sick together. Just as we were all cozy in the bed and I was thinking I might just get a small nap, my son called me to tell me he forgot to put on his uniform for school. Grumbling, I climbed out of bed, got my boots and coat on and buckled my daughter in the car to drive back to the school. This was going to be such a long day. After having kids taking turns being sick for two weeks, now it was my turn to be tired AND sick. Ug, being a mom is tough stuff sometimes and I was totally having a pity party in my head. Then on the way over to the school I pulled up your podcast and you announce today’s new episode- what to do when you don’t get enough sleep. Perfect timing! Thank you for the reminder that I can just be a mom that is tired and a little sick and that’s ok and that I can do it! I can just be tired and sick and lose the extra drama in my head about it. I’m already seeing a few other places in my day to day life where this is true as well. So today, I’m going to be a little tired and a little sick and that’s ok. Thanks for the work you do, it is changing my life!
I came to a similar realization when I had my 2nd baby. With my 1st baby I would keep track of exactly how many hours of sleep I had each night. People often ask new mothers, “How are you sleeping?” And I could tell you every morning which hours I was up the night before and which hours I was sleeping. At some point after I had my 2nd baby I just stopped keeping track of how much sleep I had. I never looked at the clock at night and just got up whenever I needed to and went back to bed when I could. It made a HUGE difference! Honestly I have no idea if I was sleeping more or not, but I felt a lot better and I had nothing to complain about because I couldn’t tell anyone how much sleep I was getting. I recommend it to all new mothers at baby showers when I’m asked for advice– “Don’t keep track of how much sleep you get!” 🙂
I LOVE this Jody. I heard you talk about it a little while ago and it’s completely changed my thoughts around getting enough sleep. I still aim to get 8ish hours of sleep every night and take it very seriously but I don’t get down in the dumps if I don’t get it for one reason or another. Thanks so much for the new thought, it is life changing. I would love to hear other life-changing thoughts you choose to think. Thank you!!
I remember those many many nights of no sleeps when my eight children were babies, toddlers, and then teenagers and I waited up for them 🙂 this too shall pass 🙂 The thought I wanted to share was that many times were SUPPOSED TO to wake up in the middle of the night! Those are the moments of greatest inspiration the peaceful times in the night when we can hear the promptings of the spirit and when ideas come and then change happens! just remember to put paper and pen by your bedside! It’s incredible!