REAL LIFE: “I drove my kids to school drunk for a year. Yes, sleep deprivation can be the same as being legally drunk.”
A lack of sleep affects the body the same way drinking alcohol does.
By Tara Youngblood, ChiliSleep Founder
For over a year, every day, I drove my kids to school drunk. And before you gasp, you could be doing the same. Now, let’s be real here, I wasn’t actually ‘drunk’. It was the lack of sleep that made it seem that way.
Research by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that if you get less than six hours of sleep over two weeks, it is the same as being legally drunk.
That was me, I was ‘drunk’ getting virtually zero sleep due to trauma, grief and depression following the loss of our youngest son Benjamin.
So, for all the mums and dads out there who could also be ‘drunk’ as a result of sleepless nights with a newborn, a child sleeping in your bed or a myriad of other reasons that disrupt our sleep as parents, this is for you.
Here are some tips on how to get better sleep as a parent.
Practice good sleep hygiene
As someone who has been there and done that with almost everything when it comes to sleep solutions, I can’t stress how much a consistent sleep routine helped resolve my sleep issues. Everyone has a unique ‘recipe’ for optimising their sleep but working towards a daily sleep routine, as simple as it sounds, will have long term benefits.
Sleep hygiene should be just as important as your daily self care rituals, practice it every day and you’ll get the rewards.
Tara Youngblood says she was ‘drunk’ on virtually zero sleep due to trauma, grief and depression following the loss of her youngest son.
Create your sleep hygiene recipe
Not sure what your optimum sleep recipe is? Start experimenting by making some of these slight adjustments before bed and see what helps, you might be surprised to discover more sound sleep.
Small changes can make the world of difference and can be the difference between a restless or restful night.
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during holidays.
- Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least seven hours of sleep.
- Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy, if after 20 minutes you haven’t fallen asleep get out of bed and try sitting on the sofa and reading a book to reduce the pressure on falling asleep
- Establish a relaxing bedtime routine
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex, absolutely no work emails or TV!
- Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing
- Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature. The best temperature for sleep is between 15.6 and 19.4 degrees celsius. Chilisleeps cooling mattress pads (the Dock Pro, Cube, OOLER) are also wonderful sleep aids for maintaining a consistent temperature to ensure deep uninterrupted sleep
- Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings, if you have to use your phone dim the brightness or switch to ‘night mode’
- Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime
Tara is the CEO and Co-Founder of ChiliSleep, a scientist, author, speaker and mother.
Embrace the joy of missing out
Instead of experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out), lean into your season and embrace JOMO (joy of missing out). Realising that a late dinner for you and your kids isn’t always worth the inevitable exhaustion the next day can be liberating. Remember that nights at home won’t be your life forever but they will help with quality sleep in this phase of life.
Honouring your circadian rhythm, which helps to regulate your body’s temperature, heart rate, hormone production, organ function, and sleep cycle, will convince you that sticking to a ‘boring’ routine can actually feel great!
Not getting enough sleep? Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during holidays.
Pick your priorities
As parents, we have a lot on our to-do lists: children, spouse, work, cleaning, chores, cooking, groceries, laundry, exercise, friends, reading, hobbies, or volunteering. Trying to fit all of these things into one day can lead to anxiety, insomnia, and massive parent guilt. So, strip it right back.
Every morning hold up five fingers and decide what buckets to fill each day. Children and spouse will usually take up two spots so try to bundle others together such as exercise and friends, or chores (laundry) and reading (listen to an audio book).
Saying yes to fewer things takes the pressure and expectations off and will in turn lead to less stress and better sleep. And think about adding one more bucket of REST aka sleep that you prioritise along with kids and partner as much as possible.
