WEBVTT - Get (a little) more sleep

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to rearrange your life to get a

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<v Speaker 1>little more sleep. We can't always get all the sleep

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<v Speaker 1>we want, but we can often aim to get a

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<v Speaker 1>few more minutes when we try. I should note here

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<v Speaker 1>that as I am recording this episode, I am in

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<v Speaker 1>a low sleep phase of my life. I have an

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<v Speaker 1>eight month old baby, and while I've been doing a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of work to get him to sleep well in

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<v Speaker 1>his crib, this is never a guarantee. He can wake

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<v Speaker 1>up at four thirty am and have trouble settling. He

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<v Speaker 1>can have trouble going down in the evening or wake

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<v Speaker 1>up in the middle of the night. Maybe you are

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<v Speaker 1>in a similar phase where sleep isn't a certainty. I

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<v Speaker 1>know that many other people face early wake ups for

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<v Speaker 1>work or disrupted sleep because of kids or other responsibility.

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<v Speaker 1>We can't always control that, which makes some of the

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<v Speaker 1>sleep advice out there ring a little hollow. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>exactly choosing to wake up at three thirty am to

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<v Speaker 1>a howling baby, so I'm not that interested in advice

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<v Speaker 1>from people without caregiving responsibilities. That implies that a lack

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<v Speaker 1>of sleep is a personal failing. That said, these things

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<v Speaker 1>aren't either or some things are just life, but other

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<v Speaker 1>habits can be tweaked. For instance, I can resist the

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<v Speaker 1>urge to celebrate when the baby goes down by staying

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<v Speaker 1>up late, reading or hanging out and doing those things

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<v Speaker 1>that are harder to do when the baby is awake.

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<v Speaker 1>By going to bed soon after the baby goes to bed,

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<v Speaker 1>I raised the likelihood of more sleep. I don't guarantee it,

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<v Speaker 1>but I make it more likely. I can also set

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<v Speaker 1>realistic alarms in the morning. This is not the time

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<v Speaker 1>of life for elaborate morning routines that will come later.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I can take the sleep. Similarly, on days when

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<v Speaker 1>I have of childcare coverage, I try to leave some

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<v Speaker 1>open time in the afternoon. It's there to absorb extra

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<v Speaker 1>work or to go for a run, but if I've

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<v Speaker 1>had a really bad night, it can also accommodate a nap.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a perk of working from home. I've also realized

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<v Speaker 1>that I do not need to be a martyr. My

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<v Speaker 1>baby has two parents, and so if I've been up

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<v Speaker 1>a lot with the baby, my husband can take a shift,

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<v Speaker 1>so I can crash somewhere quiet. If you're not getting

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<v Speaker 1>enough sleep because of life circumstances, challenge yourself to find

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<v Speaker 1>a way to add a few minutes a day. No,

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<v Speaker 1>you are not going to discover hours, but could you

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<v Speaker 1>find an extra fifteen to twenty minutes? Look at everything.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you getting up early to do work while the

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<v Speaker 1>house is quiet? I get it, and it's often a

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<v Speaker 1>good idea, But maybe one or two mornings a week

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<v Speaker 1>don't do that. Are you staying up late to see

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<v Speaker 1>your older children off to bed? Maybe just give them

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<v Speaker 1>a warning that if you wake up and find them

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<v Speaker 1>wandering about, there will be trouble, and then get the

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<v Speaker 1>extra sleep that comes from trusting them. Set a relaxed

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<v Speaker 1>weekend schedule that allows you to nap in mid afternoon

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<v Speaker 1>if the night gets interrupted. Stop thinking of a certain

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<v Speaker 1>time is when normal people go to bed. You can

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<v Speaker 1>totally go to bed earlier if you like. Maybe institute

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<v Speaker 1>a no screens after nine pm rule. If you're bored,

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<v Speaker 1>you're more likely to go to bed. And while it's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to control a baby waking up in the middle

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<v Speaker 1>of the night, other disturbances can be mitigated. If you

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<v Speaker 1>love your partner but don't share a bed, well, well

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<v Speaker 1>don't share a bed. You can always enjoy some time

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<v Speaker 1>together before heading off to sleep separately. A white noise

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<v Speaker 1>machine can work wonders, as can blackout shades, and getting

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<v Speaker 1>physical activity and sunshine during the day increases the chances

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<v Speaker 1>that you'll hit bedtime tired. I love babies, but I

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<v Speaker 1>am definitely looking forward to better sleep when this little

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<v Speaker 1>guy is older. Until then, I'm doing what I can,

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe there are things you can do to Even

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<v Speaker 1>an extra twenty minutes a night can help a lot.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the difference between feeling frazzled and just maybe okay.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much.

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Radio. For more podcasts from I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H