A Women’s Quest For Sleep

Hey, Girl remember sometime back a commercial from NyQuil? Take NyQuil to sleep like before you had kids. (They show the couple all over the bed with their hairs standing up…they got their beautiful good sleep) Awesome commercial…

Do you remember how it was to sleep, without a care in the world, pre-children time? Aaaaa I loved those cozy deep, forget about the world sleep…do you remember it? (disregard if you have no kiddos)

I guess we have all heard the expression: Sleep what a beautiful thing.
And it sure is. Wheeeeeeen you can get some…
Why is it so hard for women to wind down and sleep? My husband hits the pillow and bang he is gone to Lala land….dancing with Emma Stone…ay I want to go with him…. wait for me…

This is why… IMHO…in my humble opinion

1. The List: Yes that darn list…remember Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie
“I don’t know how she does it”? While in bed she would start making a list of all the things she needed to do the following day…1. do this 2. need that 3. pick up 4. take that…The List…are you guilty of that? I am and I know Erin is too…we talk about the list often….grrrrrr. Shut up brain.

2. Hormones...Menopause or for younger women pre-menstrual pangs can affect our sleep. We’re all different and experience menopause differently. But the most common discomfort is the Hot-Flash, which usually happens at night, disrupting our sleep…go away menophew…

3. Technology & Caffeine…I am putting these together, cuz I want to. Nah …it’s because usually while we are cruising the internet or working on our PC’s we have that cup of joe right next to us. And caffeine can do a number on us at night. Phone right next to you can be a sleep killer too. I am guilty of that…are you?

How can we pay this sleep debt that we have?

The interesting thing is that we all need a different amount of sleep. Some of us need 7 hours others need 8 & some of us will be okay with 5 or 6. What matters is not how many hours of sleep you get but how you feel. So if you feel rested with 6 hours then really, that is all you need.

Is sleep overrated? Can we ever pay up on our sleep debt? Or is it like the national debt…unpayable?

Neurologist Reimão explains: “The organism will not forget the hours of sleep that a person owes it. On the contrary, it will always remember and will suddenly present a bill that can be translated into lapses of memory, concentration problems, and slow thinking ability.” It will ask you to pay up…👀…

Yes, it’s payday…I know when I have to pay up & that’s when I walk around like a zombie. I have to make an effort to concentrate. I usually will need to sleep earlier and pay up aka… catch up on some zzz’s. Have you done the zombie walk? Not fun right?

Let’s take proactive steps to improve our beauty sleep.

Here are 5 Steps we can take:

1. Work on your todo list earlier during the day ✔
2. Take a warm shower or soak in warm water with epsom salt to help you relax ✔
3. Put away your phone, make a commitment not to check it at night ✔
4. And lighten up on your caffeine intake ✔
5. Talk to your significant other about your sleeping troubles, so they can help you…e.g: Not hog the whole bed! ✔

Of course, there are other things you can do, other remedies for insomnia which include herbal teas, melatonin, etc…the list can go on. But for now, I will let you enjoy your Thursday.