Do you ever have trouble going to sleep?
I do. Constantly.
Here are the best narratives I tell myself for not going to sleep at a decent hour.
- The things for today are all done. So I should stay awake and enjoy being done with today’s work. If I go to sleep, I’ll miss all this valuable time and just find myself waking up in the morning with a new “to do list” of all the things.
- I’ll get more done if I stay awake and do all the things now! Then tomorrow will be an easier day.
- This is the only time the house is peaceful and quiet and no one needs me to feed them! I should stay up and relax for awhile. I deserve it!
- I can’t go to sleep because there’s so much on my mind.
- I don’t want to go to sleep because then I’ll wake up in tomorrow. There are things I don’t want to do tomorrow!
Now I have bags under my eyes and a growing list of all the things I should accomplish in a day.
Are your feelings similar or do you have other reasons for staying awake? Here’s what some of the other ABQ Mom contributors have to say about it!
Vanessa says, “I stay awake to work for longer than 15 minute intervals, to watch TV with bad words, or to have a conversation with my husband.”
Margo says, “This is really dumb, but I watch real estate YouTube videos in various other cities and get stuck in the YouTube hole.”
Rachel admits she’ll stay up, “Because I’ve started yet another craft project, or I’m ready for sleep but this baby in my belly isn’t! And for peace and quiet.”
Roz stays awake reading too late, watching crime documentaries, or thinking too much.
Leigh is up late “trying to spend an hour of alone time with hubby while kid sleeps,” because “I like tv too much,” or her “brain won’t shut off.”
Nichole’s list looks like mine. Hers includes: Getting everything ready for the next day, Uninterrupted TV or book time, and 5 minutes alone!! She also adds, “I’m actually much better at going to bed on time now that my kids are getting older but I do wake up earlier now for all the above.”
Clarissa says that “As a working mom with side passions, that’s the only time I can do it, and to have me time, silence, and to recharge.”
Cari stays awake for “all the millions of weird things that start running through my head…I need to send that email. Where are Cassie’s ballet shoes for tomorrow? How much water did I drink today? It’s already the 31st, I need to make the house payment. Did I start the dishwasher? I need to send my mother-in-law a birthday card. I wonder how Cyrus did on his math test. ETC, ETC, ETC!!!”
And Erin stays up for “homework. Or studying. And it’s the time where I have quiet time to regain clarity and recharge my thoughts for the next day.”
I’m sure you can relate to ONE or more of us! I did notice that not one of us said we were staying up late having ALL THE GOOD SEX. I hope you are! Maybe we all need to turn it off to turn it on? Or maybe we need more great quickies? We definitely all need less stress!
As great as we all look with cucumbers on our eyes, there are probably better ways to handle this. It is obvious that more should be said about moms and their sleep. It’s kind of a big deal!
Lots has been said about making sure our kids get enough sleep. But what about us moms?
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. While this may not have been possible when we had tiny babies, maybe we should prioritize our health by getting the sleep we need.
Good luck to you in your sweet dreams endeavors!
