Note: This post if brought to you by Yogabed. As always all photos, thoughts, and opinions are my own. I only work with brands that I love and that I think you will love too!
Sleep is a glorious thing. And I for one, need a lot of it. I mean a lot is all relative, especially with tiny humans to care for, but 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep makes for a happy Jamie. For whatever reason my 5 month old baby girl and my almost 2 and a half year old son did not get the memo. Waking up with a newborn in the middle of the night or a toddler who has a nightmare can prove to make falling back asleep fast very tricky. I teamed up with Yogabed to share 9 tips about how to fall asleep fast. If I do these things not only does it help me fall asleep quickly the first time, but it makes falling back asleep in the middle of the night easier too.
9 Tips for Falling Asleep Fast:
1. TV Timer: This is huge for us. Andy would prefer to fall asleep with the tv on, but the lights and sounds from the tv make it hard for me to fall asleep, and continue to wake me up all night long. Our compromise is to set a sleep timer for x# of minutes as soon as the tv goes on at night. Most tv’s have this option, just look for “sleep timer” on the menu button on the remote. We set ours for 30 minutes each night.
2. Mattress Size: In my opinion, the bigger the better, we finally got a king size mattress months after my son was born and it made such a difference. If a baby ends up in our bed in the middle of the night, I still have ample room to sleep in my favorite position (belly, knee up!) and my husband also has space for himself. Falling asleep on my back is basically impossible for me. You spend a lot of time in your bed, so spending money on the best mattress for you should be a priority.
3. Mattress Material: We’ve been using the Yogabed for 2 weeks now, and the foam mattress does wonders (compared to regular spring mattress) in the amount of movement you feel from others in your bed. This makes falling asleep (for the first or third time) a night a lot easier because you do not feel the movement of the other person nearly as much. It also helps to keep the other person asleep if the other needs to get up and down in the middle of the night or wakes up earlier in the morning. Compared to our spring mattress, the foam is firm, but gives into the curves of your body. Here’s the breakdown of the foam in the Yogabed: 1’’ Yoga Instant Response Foam™ , 2’’ YogaGel™, 6’’ Breathable Foam Base, and 1’’ Support Base
4. Exercise: I know, I know this can be tricky to fit into your day with little ones. But, I notice such a difference in the amount of time it takes me to fall asleep vs. the amount of exercise I did that day. If going to the gym can’t happen, try a brisk family walk after dinner. I promise, it helps! And it also helps get a little energy out of the toddler.
5. No Electronics: Or at a minimum silent the electronics. The beeps from texts, emails, updates, or a late night phone ring can really put a damper on falling asleep or staying asleep if you are a super light sleeper, like me. Like the tv, this kind of stimulation keeps your brain alert versus allowing the wind down process to complete.
6. Caffeine and Sugar: My personal rule of thumb is no caffeine after 3 pm. The no sugar thing is not a hard and fast rule, but at least only eat 5ish bites of ice cream before bed instead of the whole carton! Well, if I’m really honest, I don’t allow myself to eat out of the carton because that is when it gets out of control. I give myself one small scoop, approximately 5-7 bites, and enjoy the treat right after the kids go to bed, ha!
7. Wind Down Routine: After a long day of work/emails/parenting/dinner/ errands/ adulting…. it can be hard to turn your brain off. I find it helpful to have a predictable routine to wind down the day. It helps my body and brain get ready for sleep. Things like a warm bath or shower, dim lights, low music, 30 minutes of tv, reading, etc.
8. Kids Fall Asleep in their Own Bed: Both kiddos fall asleep in their own spaces assures that we can at the very least try to fall asleep fast and get some rest before babies wake up. Max has a big boy bed, and Mila sleeps in a crib in a room that they share. (I’m going to share more about a baby and toddler sharing a room soon!) If and when one of them wakes up in the middle of the night, we do our best to get them settled back and asleep in their own bed. But, for the sake of our sleep and sanity occasionally a baby ends up in our bed. See Tip #2.
9. Don’t go to bed hungry: Even if you don’t feel hungry for dinner in the moment, eating a small meal will ensure that your belly is full and you don’t wake up hungry in the middle of the night.
I’d love some more tips for falling asleep fast the first time and for falling asleep fast after being woken up in the middle of the night.
If you’re in the market for anew mattress, Yogabed mattresses are not only comfortable, but ship free to your house. The mattress is compressed and shipped free in a cardboard box. When removed from the box the mattress expands into its final shape. Each mattress comes with a 10-year limited warranty, and also offers a 365-night trial period, during which the mattress may be returned without cost. Need a Yogabed now? Check out the Yogabed site for $100 off of your mattress!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Yogabed. The opinions and text are all mine.
