caring for yourself after a sleepless night
I can feel the heavy eyes, the groggy brain and the self-motivating talk to pump myself up for the day, as if I am experiencing it now— partly because I am still in the thick of rough sleep, but also because there was a time where sleep was just hard to come by in our household of five!
How I choose to care for myself, every morning, but especially on mornings of little sleep the night before, can make all the difference in my energy levels and the way I am able to show up for my family. Although it may seem like everyone around you has all of their kids perfectly sleep-trained or they happen to have magical amazing sleepers, I am here to reassure you that it is not the case for everyone, and having phases of harder sleep seems to be a part of many mother-hood journeys!
There were a few months last winter and into early spring where we had Liam going through the worst of his topical steroid withdrawal, and our youngest going through a rough stage with a bad yeast rash. We were getting very little sleep, despite tag-teaming the night (thank goodness for husbands!). During this time I really focused on making sure I was taking care of myself so that I could take care of my kids who needed me in a very specific, high-demanding way. Here are some things that I implemented and continue to do every morning now—
1. Minerals first thing in the morning. We use and love Biofulvic minerals and I have a post that explains in more depth the incredible benefits here. We have seen so many incredible things from these minerals and it is now a staple supplement in our house. Just hydrating can be helpful, something like lemon salted water or just water with a pinch of salt contains minerals.
2. Getting outside for the sunrise for as long as I could, but at least around 5-10 minutes. This has so many benefits for our hormones and circadian rhythm. It signals to our brain that it is morning time and helps wake us up. I know this isn’t attainable all the time, and I certainly didn’t do it as well in the summer with the very early sunrise, but if the opportunity arises, it is so beneficial. If this isn’t attainable finding other ways to regulate your stress/body is helpful. Adding reishi into my diet has been really helpful in keeping cortisol in check.
3. Reducing blue light exposure at night can also set you up for a better nights sleep, even if its interrupted. I use blue light blocking glasses every night (I found a pair on amazon), and found a hack that allows you to turn your phone screen red, so I keep it on red at night once the sun sets, and in the morning until the sun is up. Here is a video on how to do this on your phone- an easy free way to help your health!
4. Eating a high protein breakfast before I have any coffee!! I started implementing this a while back and it makes even more of a difference on the days I am extra tired. I add collagen to my coffee to help keep my blood sugar stable and get more protein in, but collagen is never my main source of protein.
5. I am extra aware of staying hydrated and getting my electrolytes and minerals in. I use and love Seeking Health electrolyte. They use less salt and more potassium which is ideal for allowing the minerals to enter our cells and actually hydrate us and give us energy (a tangent for another time). Tea is another great way to stay hydrated, and something I love to have at the end of the day. At night I make sure I am taking magnesium since that can help me sleep and help my stress response. I love taking epsom salt baths which helps boost magnesium and detox, or I rub some Earthley Magnesium lotion on my stomach.
6. While this isn’t a health tip, having prayer time is also so important. Offering the day to God, and letting go of the night instead of holding onto anger or frustration about how it went and the demands of the day that are to come. I love using the Hallow app and listening to the gospel or a rosary, which makes it attainable to do with little kids around.
When our bodies aren’t getting adequate sleep it can be another source of stress on them. Other tools that I use are adaptogens/herbs, nourishing myself with good foods throughout the day, eating enough protein, doing a light workout or just focus on being outside and getting movement, and of course— taking a nap if I am able to!
As mothers we often run ourselves to depletion taking care of our kids and everyone around us. I found that during the thick of it to keep myself healthy physically and mentally, taking care of my body was not selfish, but essential. I would love to hear other ways that you incorporate taking care of yourself while caring for little ones!