Sleeping Beauty

My little sleeping beauty...

The past little while she's been asking me to hold her hand while she falls asleep, which I'm quite happy to do :) It means I get to see this beautiful little princess (superhero) face by the soft glow of her "monster-repelling" night-light. I sit next to her bed in the rocking chair sneaking glimpses of her intense little face and wondering what mysteries she's contemplating as she makes her way towards sleep.

That is, when she's not telling me EXACTLY what she's thinking ;)

I love it.

Mornings...

I am not a fan of waking up.

I have never been an early riser nor have I ever been a morning person.

One thing I haven't appreciated so much about motherhood is the lack of sleep! Late nights, night wakings/feedings, and then on top of it all they wake you up at the crack of dawn!! And if you know anything about me, you should know that I love my sleep.

But then...

There's this:

Waking up to these smiling faces (that are just so darn happy in the morning!!) is the one thing that could possibly make it all worth it :)

Sleep!!

Just as a kind of follow up to my last post, I found these tips (fibroblog.org) for getting better sleep and thought I'd share :)  

Get a Better Night’s Sleep

• Maintain a bedtime routine.  Try to go to bed the same time each night and get out of bed at the same time each morning, conditioning your brain to know when it’s time to sleep.
• Don’t sleep excessively during the day. Naps should be less than half an hour long, so you don’t have enough time to enter REM-stage sleep. If you nap too long and do enter this stage of sleep, you may have trouble falling asleep at night.
• Check your diet. Eliminating certain foods may help improve your sleep. Don’t forget to consider what you’re drinking. Remember that caffeine stays in your system six to eight hours after you consume it, and it does fragment sleep.
• Don’t use alcohol for help falling asleep. As the alcohol is absorbed into the system, the body goes through a mini-withdrawal that fragments and destroys the second half of sleep.
• Eliminate stimulants, including tobacco.
• Turn down the lights. Excessive light exposure in the evenings may prevent your body from releasing the melatonin that makes you feel sleepy. Light exposure not only refers to lamps and other lighting, but also to television and computer screens. And, if you need to get out of bed during the night, try not to turn the lights on–you may inadvertently fool your brain into thinking it’s daybreak, and time to wake up.
• A warm bath will help you relax–and cooling down afterward will help prepare your body for the induction of sleep. Be sure to wait at least an hour after your bath to go to bed, so your body temperature has a chance to go down.
• Arrange your bedding surface so it offers you the most comfort, especially if pain tends to keep you awake.
• If you’re having trouble sleeping, get out of bed–but don’t immerse yourself in an activity that requires a lot of concentration. Go to another room (be sure it’s not brightly lit) and listen to some music or do another relaxing activity. When you start to feel sleepy, head back to bed.