Search Results for: blog 4 tricks for getting more sleep at night

Are You Sleeping?

I’ve struggled with getting a good night’s sleep from the time I was a young teenager. When I became a single mother the problem only intensified. As a single parent it felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I had so much to worry about and was finding myself up at all hours of the night unable to get the sleep that I needed. I had tried all kinds of sleep aids, but to no avail. As the problem continued I found myself more exhausted than ever. I was unable to do the things that … Continue reading →

Natural Ways to Boost Your Energy

Energy drinks, such as 5-Hour Energy and others are a booming industry. Many people rely on these energy drinks to get through the day. I’ve seen them being pulled out of purses, laid on people’s desks, and sold out at the convenience stores. I’ve never tried these drinks myself, so I can’t speak for them, but wouldn’t it be better to try something natural first? There are several ways to naturally boost your energy levels throughout the day. Many of them are just common sense, but there are a few tricks in there, too. First of all, getting enough sleep … Continue reading →

Keep Those Nighttime “Pit Stops” Short

And now for a lesson I learned the hard way: keep those night nursing sessions short and to the point, unless you want to lose a lot of sleep. It’s completely normal for babies to wake during the night, don’t let any “expert” tell you otherwise. You don’t have to force your baby to sleep through the night. In fact, you shouldn’t because some babies get a good portion of their calories during night time feedings. I’m a firm believer that infants wake up to eat because they need to, not because they want to deprive you of sleep. This … Continue reading →

Adventures in Sleep Training (Day 2)

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Eighteen minutes. That is how long it took my little guy to fall asleep tonight. When I first decided to teach my son how to fall asleep by himself, I was fully prepared to wait an hour or more. I’m so glad this has not been the case so far. Today was very difficult, yet everything confirmed my suspicions that he was not getting enough sleep. Last night he fell asleep a little after 8:30 and he did not wake up to eat until 11:30. He awoke at 3am, 6:30am, and 8am. He slept nearly 12 hours instead of his … Continue reading →

Sleeping Through the Night (For the First Time)

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A sense of dread pounded in my chest as I rubbed my eyes and searched for the blurry green lit numbers on the alarm clock. It was nearly six in the morning. I realized my son had not woken up and part of me panicked. For the past four months he has gone from waking up 4 times per night to one; could this be the first time he slept all the way through, or was there something wrong? Just then I heard a little grunt and a sigh over the monitor. I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped … Continue reading →

Are My Baby’s Days and Nights Mixed Up?

Many a mother has a similar complaint: their baby is up all night and asleep during the day. “Common” wisdom says that the baby’s days and nights are mixed up. Then there are numerous theories on how you “fix” the problem. I have met many moms who have “the solution” on how to train the baby so that he’s not confused. However, I have come to believe that the issue is not confusion on the part of the baby but rather the need for mom to adjust her expectations! That Whole “Days and Nights Mixed Up” Thing. . . Is … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: July 23 to July 30

We had a busy week in the baby blog this past week. From sleeping to baby research to the newest baby products, we covered it here. Here is the breakdown of what we covered: July 26 Babies Aren’t Supposed to Sleep So often I find that new parents are reading this book or that method to try and ‘train’ their infant to sleep better. However, the more I parent, the more I really believe that your baby’s sleep patterns are a big part of his temperament rather than something you did or didn’t do. Baby Bling? Seriously? I was shocked … Continue reading →

The Best Movie Ever

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My wife and I certainly have our hands full. Between our jobs and raising five state of the art sleep interference devices, we find that we have very little time just for ourselves. As I’m sure you very well know, parenting is a 24/7 gig. Anyway, last night we had finally gotten the kids off to bed, and were enjoying a rare, quiet, adult conversation in the living room. An actual real live conversation were there were no paper dolls, Transformers, My Little Pony, or Little Einsteins mentioned at all. Suddenly, our conversation was interrupted by sleep interference device #2, … Continue reading →

Fitness Journal – Sleeplessness and Exercise

The more you sleep, the better you feel – that sounds reasonable, right? Sometimes though, you can sleep too much. If you are low on energy and you don’t eat well, chances are you sleep long hours and you sleep very hard. In today’s fitness journal, I want to share a story with you. Years ago, I had a friend who rarely if ever ate very well. Her diet often consisted of Dr. Pepper and fast food. On the rare occasions she ate ‘meals’ she did not eat vegetables or whole grain products. She was more inclined to eat steaks, … Continue reading →

4 Tricks for Getting More Sleep at Night

In my last article, I wrote about how really, sleep is a function of temperament and you get what you get as far as newborns go. Some newborns wake every hour and others sleep through the night early on. “Sleep training” a newborn is never a good idea. However, there are things you can do to minimize the waking at night and help your baby work with his own biological clock. Maintain a consistent bedtime and waking time. Even in the early days of having baby home with you, have a set bedtime. Every night, at the same time, put … Continue reading →