Spit-up On My Shoulder

Great info from Mother Nurture:

It’s common for a mom to be lying awake in bed while her baby or toddler is snoozing blissfully. Unfortunately, low quantity and poor quality (= depth) of sleep erode a mother’s health and well-being, and give her a strong shove down the slippery slope toward depression.

Getting plenty of good sleep is a crucial aspect of replenishing oneself and preventing depletion. Happily, there are plenty of good methods:

• Try to reduce caffeine overall, eat dinner early, avoid late night chocolate (it contains a caffeine-like substance), and restrict alchohol (which relaxes you at first but then can keep you awake).

• Do everything possible to lower stress. Cortisol hormone normally rises in the morning to prepare you for the activities of the day, but, with too much stress, this hormone will kick into gear extra early, waking you at three or four a.m. (You can also test cortisol pretty inexpensively to see if this is happening to you.)

• In the hour before bedtime, do relaxing activities like listening to music, meditating, doing yoga, taking a bath, singing to your baby, etc. Avoid arguments with your children or mate.

• If your mind is worrying or obsessing, try writing down your concerns and promising yourself you’ll do what’s possible to deal with them in the morning. Or extend compassion toward yourself or toward the people you are worrying about.

• Relax your body by imagining your hands are very warm, progressively relaxing each part of your body, or imagining you are in a very peaceful setting.

• Make sure you are getting enough magnesium and calcium, both of which are needed for sleep. The Daily Value (DV) of them is 320 milligrams (mg) and 1000 mg, respectively. You could try a slightly higher dose, 500 and 1200 mg respectively.

Mother Nurture is: Rick Hanson, a clinical psychologist, and Jan Hanson, an acupuncturist/nutritionist. With Ricki Pollycove, M.D., they are the authors of Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships. You can email them with questions or comments at info@nurturemom.com. Unfortunately, a personal reply may not always be possible.