Sleep does not come easy to mothers, no matter how old their kids are. At the same time, getting a good night’s sleep is the best thing you can do to improve your physical and mental health. So this Mothers' Day - let's focus on sleep.

According to National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep every night. When you sleep less on every night, you build up a "sleep debt" that can affect your physical and mental health. Having a child is definitely one of the life event that will change your sleep routines, but how much and why you should pay attention to it? 

Losing sleep hours

You know, how grumpy you get if you do not get enough sleep? Here is a small overview of mother's sleep deprivation*:

• quality of sleep starts to suffer before the baby is born and can last well beyond kindergarten, as studies show that almost 14% of grade school kids are still getting their parents up in the night (1)
• nearly half of all parents with children six months or younger get just one to three hours of uninterrupted sleep a night (2)

Sleep deprivation is a risk

Spending less time sleeping is more than just discomfort, sleep deprivation can also be connected to poor performance at work, obesity, diabetes, excessive risk-taking behaviour, and heart disease. Also, you will be prone to make more mistakes - possibly injuring yourself or others. Conclusion? Sleep should get similar priority as nutrition and hydration.

Tips and tricks to feel and be well rested

Easier said than done, we know. But perhaps you can find some ideas from following list:

• Take naps - do not try to catch up with chores, calls or readings, when you finally have time, but focus on your rest. Read here, why "Napping is good for you"
• Ask for help - if you have friends, relatives or possibility to hire support, do so. There is nothing better than rested parent
• Go to bed as early as possible, move away from Instagram and TikTok or any sceen that keeps you up during the night - we have some tips here: "17 proven tips for better sleep"
• Use practical and easy to maintain bedding - keep dust, stains and smells out of your bed. SleepAngel bedding is especially practical if your kids love spending time in your bed - no machine wash needed, just wipe clean.

*While most of the data is valid for all parents, we decided to put the focus on mothers due to arriving Mothers' Day. Mothers' Day is celebrated in Estonia every second Sunday of May.

Photo credits:

• Style and jewelry WildWoman Jewellry https://wildwoman.com
• Photo by Karen Härms https://www.instagram.com/karenharmsphotography/
• MUAH by Natalia Shishkina https://www.instagram.com/natalia.shishkina_muah/
• Clothing from S'nob https://www.instagram.com/snobtallinn/
• Bedding by SleepAngel https://www.instagram.com/sleepangelglobal/

Sources:

• (1) Moms and Sleep Deprivation

• (2) New Moms Are More Sleep Deprived Than We Thought