Mothers of newborns often do not have a good night’s sleep. Likewise, moms can’t get a proper night’s sleep due to different reasons. However, moms can get better sleep in various ways. Now let’s see more information about moms’ sleep regression and how it is avoided. Here we go;
Why can’t moms get better sleep?
Moms are always busy with household chores, children, and work. Hence, moms can’t get a night of proper sleep during the night. Likewise, stress and anxiety cause poor sleep in mothers. There are different reasons for mom’s sleep regression. Now let’s see what affects mom’s sleep regression.
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Newborn and infant care
Frequent night waking – Newborns always wake up to feed, change diapers, and comfort. Hence, moms can’t get a comfortable sleep.
Sleep schedule misalignments – Infants have different sleeping patterns. These sleeping patterns disrupt the mom’s sleep.
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Stress and anxiety
Parenting stress – Moms always worry about their children’s well-being, health, and development which can keep moms up at night.
Balancing responsibilities – Juggling multiple roles such as parent, partner, employee, etc can lead to stress and difficulty winding down.
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Lack of time for self-care
Busy schedules – Moms continue a busy schedule with household chores, work, and childcare. Hence, moms have little time for self-care or relaxation.
Prioritizing others – Moms frequently prioritize their family needs over their own. It causes me to get insufficient sleep.
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Hormonal changes
Postpartum hormones – There is a hormonal fluctuation after childbirth. These postpartum hormones can affect the sleep quality of the mom.
Menstrual cycles – Hormonal changes related to the Menstrual cycle can impact a mother’s sleep.
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Inconsistent sleep patterns
Irregular sleep – Due to nighttime caregiving, moms have an irregular sleep pattern. These irregular sleep patterns cause difficulty in establishing consistent sleep patterns.
Interrupted sleep – Frequent interruptions can prevent moms from reaching deep sleep.
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Environmental factors
Noise and light – Light and household noise can disrupt sleep if the sleep environment is shared with children.
Uncomfortable sleep settings – An uncomfortable bed and bedroom also cause damage to your sleeping.
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Health issues
Physical discomfort – Mainly back pain makes it difficult to sleep comfortably. Pregnancy or carrying babies causes back pain.
Mental health – Sleep patterns and quality are affected by anxiety or postpartum depression.
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Lifestyle factors
Diet and exercise – Poor diet and lack of exercise cause sleep regression. Likewise, consuming more caffeine causes sleep regression.
Screen time – Using electronic devices such as phones, computers, tablets, and TVs before bed can interface with the ability of fall sleep. The blue light of the devices causes poor sleep.
How can mothers sleep better?
Due to different reasons, moms can’t get a better sleep. However, some tips are more beneficial for getting proper sleep at night. Hence, moms can follow these tips to get a better sleep. They are,
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Establish a consistent sleep schedule.
Regular bedtime and wake time – Always try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
Bedtime routine – You can develop calming pre-sleep routine activities. A warm bath, reading a book, or practicing relaxation exercises will maintain a better sleep.
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Create a sleep-friendly environment.
Comfortable bedding – Keep your mattress and pillows comfortably and supportively. The comfortable pillows and mattress give you good sleep.
Dark and quiet room – Dark and quiet rooms make you sleep well. Therefore, you can use black curtains to darken the room. Besides, you can use earplugs or white noise machines to block out noise.
Cool temperature – the cool temperature promotes better sleep. Thus, keep your bedroom cool.
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Limit screen time
Reduce blue light exposure – At least an hour before bed, you should avoid screens, such as phones, tablets, TVs, and computers. These devices emitted blue lights. Melatonin production can be interfaced with blue light. It is harder to fall asleep.
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Manage stress and anxiety.
Relaxation techniques – You can always continue the relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, medication, or progressive muscle relaxation. These activities help calm your mind and offer a night of better sleep.
Journaling – You can make a journal. To clear your mind and prevent racing thoughts, write down any worries and do-to lists before bed.
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Prioritize self-care
Regular exercise – Do you know that regular physical activities can help you fall asleep faster and deeper sleep? Therefore, you can maintain regular exercise at least 30 minutes per day to fall asleep faster. However, you should avoid vigorous exercise close to bedtime.
Healthy diet – Before a few hours of bedtime, you should avoid heavy or large meals. Likewise, don’t use caffeine and alcohol in the evening. Why? Caffeine and alcohol can cause sleep regression.
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Nap strategically
Short naps – You can consider taking short naps during the day to catch up in rest if interrupted by nighttime sleep. You can sleep 20-30 minutes to avoid feeling groggy.
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Share responsibilities
Ask for help – You can share nighttime duties with a partner or seek help from family. This also helps you to get longer stretches of sleep.
Flexible parenting – To find what works best for your family and sleep needs, be flexible with parenting techniques.
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Professional help
Consult a healthcare provider – If you have sleeping troubles continuously, talk to a doctor or sleep specialist. It helps you to identify any underlying issues and appropriate treatments. Then you can get a better sleep following that advice.
We have provided more tips to get better sleep. Thus, you can follow them to get a faster and longer sleep.
Conclusion
You know that most moms can’t get a better sleep at night time due to numerous reasons. They are newborn and infant care, lack of time for self-care, stress and anxiety, hormonal changes, inconsistent sleep patterns, health issues, environmental factors, lifestyle factors, and more.
However, moms can get a better sleep following some tips. Moms can establish a consistent sleep schedule, create a sleep-friendly bedroom, manage stress, nap strategically, prioritize self-care, and more. Here we have offered more information about how moms can sleep better. However, you can refer to more research papers to get more information. As well as you can visit your family doctor to get more advice.
