Skip to main content

Naps & Sleep Routines

I could go for a nap right now. My sleep has gotten totally out-of-wack over the past month, and I am in need of some serious sleep therapy. Thankfully, this feels very different than a year ago, when my inability to sleep well became a source of great frustration...

 
Several suggestions have been given. None of them seem easy or guranteed enough for me to fully commit:

  1. Ear plugs. (lost my pair. should probably just shell out another $8...but it takes me at least 3 tries to get them in properly every single time I wear them.)
  2. Sleep mask. (have one. wear it occasionally, not sure if it makes a difference, hate that I have to lift it to check the clock when I wake up unexpectedly.)
  3. Bedtime routine. (I think I generally do things in the same order? I can't see myself fully keeping track of this.)
  4. Sleep-only in your bed. (but skype! journalling! reading! watching TV! In my next bedroom*, I will have a couch. No really, that's my plan.)
Any other sleep advice? Am I being lazy about sleeping well? Should I try really hard to do these things "right"?



*I am feeling both excited and sad about the fact that I will be moving and changing roommates in two months. We've had a good run here, Nadine and I...
Labels:

Comments

Ariana said…
Don't bring your computer to bed with you! Seriously! There's something about the light it emits that fails to relax you and put you in sleep-mode. This is the single most important sleeping-better tip. It's made all the different for me. (Read, though. It's ok to read in bed.)

Also: lavender relaxation spray on your pillows.
3:45 PM
Jackie said…
I struggle with this a lot but I found that on the days when I do extra vigorous exercise it's significantly better. Vigorous as in you're dead tired after you do it and refuse to do anything else but sleep at 10pm.

For lent I'm committing to iphone-free bed, aka cutting the wifi out so I'm not tempted to read in the dark when I should be falling asleep. I feel great about it so far.

Couch in your next bedroom sounds delightful.

Jackie
7:15 PM
sarahtp said…
I am stealing some of the advice from your readers— I am totally having a difficult time sleeping as well! And I've been a zombie at work too.

I lost my sleep mask (which usually works for me), so that might be a contributing factor.

In the winter, when I was sick with a throat cough thing, I put a shot of whisky in my tea before bed. That did the trick. But then again, you don't want to build up any kind of dependancy on the stuff.

If you get any advice that really works, let me know!

Also, we should meet up soon. I am going to be in Toronto on Sunday— are you free in the afternoon before 4?
7:53 PM
Beth said…
ariana: noted...

jackie: vigorous exercise should be more a part of my life. and will be soon. once the weather is consistently +5 degrees.

sarah: one thing i do is slow/deep breathing to fall asleep. one hand on my chest, one on my stomach, and relax. it helps. and counting keeps other thoughts at bay. also, sending you a message right now.
1:14 PM
jonathanturtle said…
Do you know where you're moving yet? I hear there is a sweet opening in Riverdale. ;)
9:14 AM
Beth said…
jonathan - same plan as before...Karen is buying a place, likely just west of downtown. I'm going to live with her. Sorry, Riverdale peeps.
9:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Rules for Being a (North) American Adult or No One Wants You to Love Yourself

5 Rules for Being a (North) American Adult
(paraphrased from a lecture by Anne Lamott, whose priest friend shared them with her many years ago)

1. Have it all together. 2. If you don't have it all together, fix whatever is broken in you so that you do have it all together. 3. If you can't fix whatever's broken, pretend that you have. 4. If you can't pretend to be fixed, don't show up - it's a bit embarrassing to the rest of us. 5. If you do decide to show up broken, at least have the decency to be ashamed of yourself.
--
We are encultured towards self-loathing and self-avoidance. 
Be perfect. Do it all, do it right.  If you can't be better, pretend you are. Don't look any deeper. Keep busy. Keep your chin up. Keep up appearances.
It takes so much energy. It takes too much energy.
--
What would happen if I just loved myself? is the question I have been asking since my last post.
It's the question I hear when I see photos of lovely fat ladies who refuse…
7 comments
Read more

Fostering FAQ: How Can You Say Goodbye?

It seems I finally have something(s) to say... Here's the first in a short (or maybe long?) series on Fostering FAQs. If you've got a question to add, feel free to comment/email/text/message me and maybe the next post will be in response.

--

8:30 am on Day 4 of parenting. I woke up in a panic two hours ago because I remembered that there is a baby and I am responsible for her (at least at 6:30am, when the man beside me will snore through anything). Now, I have put on clothes and eaten breakfast. The dogs are walked, there is a loaf of banana bread in the oven. My tea is steeping. Most importantly, Dream Baby is already down for her first nap.

Despite my morning efficiency, I'm already beginning to see that even with the happiest, most easygoing, and smiliest baby, like we somehow managed to be given, parenting is a grind. On Friday night, I couldn't join friends for $5 pints at a local joint. Instead, I blearily washed the same 8 bottles again, and then made another ba…
7 comments
Read more

Fostering FAQ: How Long Will She Stay/Will You Adopt Her?

Our first foster baby came with about 18 hours notice; it was respite care, which means we had him for a few days while his regular foster family had a break/dealt with a family emergency. He stayed 3 nights, long enough to come to church and have a dozen people cooing over his little sleeping cheeks.  With each new visitor to our quiet corner, I explained again that he would be going back to his foster family the next day.

Barely a week later, we got a 9am phone call with a fostering request and by the same afternoon, we were snuggling her. This time, we had her for 4 days before church came around. Again, our community was keen to see the little one we had in tow. Again, the question, "How long will she stay?" And this time, "Are you going to adopt her?"

--

Here in Toronto, when a child is placed in foster care, it is always for an indefinite length of time. It depends on the parents' situation, and whether they are able to make a safe home environment for th…
Post a Comment
Read more