First off, there is the obvious culprit, the children.
Secondly, the ever whirring mind of a busy working mum inevitably struggles to switch off at the end of each day. With the endless list of things to do: from school, work, home, and not to mention a social life, can cause countless hours either trying to get to sleep or causing hours of wakefulness in the early morning hours.
Finally, the evening period is often the only hope of downtime that a working mother has, that is after dinner is eaten, dishes cleaned, and any personal correspondences have been take care of. Although bed beckons like a siren of the fitted sheets, in can be quite a tough decision to curtail the act of just sitting. This often leads to later nights, in many cases going to bed after your partner has retired just so you can experience selfish 'me time'.
So why is sleep so important? Sleep, after eating and breathing, is the main way that our bodies recover. Studies have clearly demonstrated that all aspects of mental performance, our reaction time, concentration, memory and reasoning all decline steadily as sleep decreases. As a working mum, this decline can wreak havoc in all aspects of a busy juggling act.
So, as a busy working mum, how can you ensure that your resting period is as undisturbed as possible?
1. Keep a notebook by the bed. Then, when the inevitable flow of thoughts enter your head as you try to count sheep, write them down and then forget about them. The alpha brain waves your brain switches to in a more relaxed mode are the creative generators and this is why solutions often come to us during this period. Writing them down allows your brain to move on rather than desperately try to retain them for remembering in the morning.
2. Short of sleeping in a different building from your children, there will occasionally some element of disturbed sleep that occurs because of them. Hopefully, the older they get the less this should happen. Encouraging bad sleep patterns for the benefit of a short term peaceful night rarely helps, but can be a very easy habit to fall into. Be strong, be brave and accept that for a few nights the sleep available will be minimal. Remind yourself though that, in the long term, your own body's needs must be met in order for you to fulfill all the aspects that your role as a busy working mum demands.
3. Give yourself a bedtime. Take yourself back a couple of decades and tell yourself to be in bed by a certain hour. The first few times may feel a bit strange as you lie restlessly until your usual lights out time, but your body will eventually catch up and reward you by removing those bags under your eyes that were becoming a regular feature.
With these tips in effect, you are sure to have better sleep periods.
Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, exhausted working mums who long for more hours in the day and space to think. Through professional coaching programmes and online coaching courses, Amanda helps mums to create a balanced, fulfilling life that works for them. For self-coaching tips tailored to working mums, sign up for Inspire, our free newsletter, at Coaching Mums.
