Sleep Issues

I have sleep issues. You probably read the title and thought I'd be talking about my kids. Nope. Gracie goes down like a champ without a peep. Miss Rose takes a long time to fall asleep but once she's out, she's out. I'm the one with reoccuring issues. (I know that cutting out Miss Rose's 2-hr nap--she's almost 4.5 after all--would probably solve her problems...but see, sometimes I need a nap too!)

I have somewhat of an overactive mind...at the exact moment my head hits the pillow. I've never been one to fall asleep at the drop of a hat (unlike Bean who is infamous for it). It takes me a while to unwind. The second I get in bed, I begin to think about my day, to think about my job, to plan the next stages of life, to calculate our budget, the train of thought just never ends.

Reading for a short time in bed usually helps my mind focus away from life stuff and onto the mundane (usually of christian romance novels!) But this can also be a catch-22. I'm a fast reader...and if I'm really into a book, or close to the end, I have a hard time putting it down. Which can mean being awake well past midnight. The girls wake between 6:30 and 7am and on workdays I'm up at 6:15. This means not enough sleep!

So on the weekends, I sometimes resort to naps. I must confess...I've napped 3 days in a row this weekend, which is above average for me. But napping is a catch-22 also. Because a nap longer than 45min means I'll have even MORE trouble falling asleep. Like tonight. I was up too late reading last night, was tired and took a nap and now when I should be going to bed, I feel wide awake.

Tylenol PM is one of my most treasured friends. I discovered this friend during my 1st pregnancy when sciatica made it next to impossible to sleep. Of course a breastfeeding mom must be ready to wake at the drop of a hat, so Tylenol PM and I can't really be friends during baby's first year. Now that Gracie is 14 months, Tylenol PM and I are getting reacquainted. In fact, I just took two right now. Gracie still wakes occasionally and needs a bit of attention at night, so I still try to avoid drugging myself. But sometimes a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. And if baby wakes...and mama is out cold...Daddy will get up. I have committed to NOT take a nap tomorrow...which means I need sleep tonight.

What I SHOULD do is...
quit caffeine...been there, done that...still LOVE it; although I do try to avoid it later in the day.

stay off the computer in the evening...but that is my computer time, my downtime and I'm taking online classes, so it's my study time

do Yoga or some sort of meditation before bed to relax...um, I'd rather surf the web!

get in bed earlier to unwind....Bean doesn't need much sleep, and he likes to be up at night, so when I go to bed too early, I miss hanging out with him

So, I just deal. Poor Miss Rose. I'm afraid she's headed down the same path. I wonder when I'll have to introduce her to my friend Tylenol PM. Just kidding. I'd never drug my child! It would probably have the opposite effect on her. The kid swam for 3 hrs today and STILL was up 1.5hrs after bedtime.

I'm off to bed to wait for Tylenol PM to work it's magic while I read something. I finished the books I had...time to visit the library again.

Sweet dreams!