It’s already past midnight but I’m still lying on the bed awake. I envy my husband who is sleeping soundly beside me. He has been sleeping for 3 hours now while I am still tossing and turning. I woke up to pee. Then I went back to bed and tried to sleep. Still, I couldn’t sleep so I checked my messenger and chatted with my sister who is still awake at that time. After chatting, I try sleeping again. I doze off only to be awakened by the dogs barking. I try to sleep again. It’s already past 3 AM.
That was my life when I was pregnant. I read that it’s normal for pregnant women to have insomnia because of the growing baby in their tummy that makes them want to pee often and makes them uncomfortable. But there are times that it’s really hard to not sleep so I looked for ways on how to get some sleep. I followed the usual advice given to pregnant women suffering from insomnia. I drank less water and ate less in the evening. I also drank milk before bedtime and I turned off the lights in my bedroom. I took a warm shower at night and tried to have a regular time whenever I sleep. These are good ways but I realized that the keys to sleeping are not only the external factors but also the internal factors. Having a relaxed and calm mind makes a difference.
I want to share the 3 things that really worked for me.
1. Lavender
When I first heard about the uses of lavender especially about how it affects sleep, I was skeptical at first. But I decided to give it a try because I had difficulty sleeping. I bought a 10 ml bottle of lavender oil from my sister-in-law. I love the smell of lavender and it’s effective. Of course, I didn’t sleep right away after smelling the oil and it wasn’t effective if used alone. Lavender oil just helps people feel calm so they can sleep better.
2. Guided Meditation
Stress can make sleeping difficult and meditation is a good way to remove stress. But it’s difficult to meditate especially for first-timers like me. I know what meditation means but I don’t know how to effectively meditate. That’s why guided meditations are helpful. I tried free guided meditations on YouTube. The voice of the guide is relaxing. I also noticed that the most common way is to relax our bodies one part at a time and to focus on our breathing.
3. Journal
It’s hard to sleep if our mind is full of worries. That’s why it’s helpful to keep a daily journal. At the end of the day, I write what I accomplished then I plan on what to do tomorrow. If I failed to accomplish a certain task, I include ways on how to accomplish them. I will also include other things that worry me and write down ways to solve my problems. If I do that, I won’t be thinking about those things while lying on the bed. I’ll be calm and focused on trying to sleep.
Comentários