Welcome back! Are you ready to dive into uncovering exactly what can interfere with our sleep and how to eliminate or at least limit those problems? No, you may not like some of what you read, but I hope that the truth will help you to rest well tonight, my friend.
I’m very sad to report that caffeine does indeed interfere with sleep. I love my coffee and the dream of relaxing with my family in the evening (especially the cold ones!) over a warm mug is so comforting. I’ve tried to like tea (and let’s not even mention decaf), but it’s no use. I’m faithful to my full strength coffee. If I want to sleep well at night, though, I have to give up my little dream. Sorry, for the drama, but I really hate not having coffee in the evening! While I hate that part, I love the good night sleep I get and that trumps all. The only way to eliminate this problem is to cut caffeine off completely in the evenings.
Worries also cause a major interference with sleep. They seem to love bed time the most to rear their ugly heads. Just when you begin to slow down is when they get the loudest. During the day, we have to deal with our worries. “The Faith Challenge” is an excellent way to look honestly and completely at those worries. In doing so, the worries lose their power. Not only that, “The Faith Challenge” empowers us with the truth about who God really is; knowing Him well defeats all worries and fears. But, what do you do at night when you really need to get to sleep? You change your focus from the worry to the One more powerful than any fear – God. I do that by talking with Him about those worries and just keep talking – thanking Him for whatever I can, something I read about in His word, anything. As my mind trails away from the worry, I relax and fall asleep. Yes, I fall asleep on God, but this is not my main time with Him – it’s a bonus.
Another biggie is kids. Depending on their ages and medical needs, kids can definitely interfere with our sleep. Bedtime routines make a major difference in how well children fall asleep and stay asleep. Set a time to start your child’s bedtime routine (try to stick to it as much as possible) and write a time in stone when your child needs to be in bed. I encourage you to not allow any drinks within the last hour before bed to help keep them sleeping (instead of getting up to go to the bathroom). It can be hard to say no to them, but they are so much better off if we do. My weakness, and my son knows this, is when he asks for food. He is way underweight for his age and weight gain is definitely something we’re working on for him. As I’m tucking him in, he’ll look at me sadly and say, “Mom, I’m really hungry.” It’s tough to say no when I know he needs food, but if he eats, then he’ll drink, and then he’ll be up multiple times to go to the bathroom. I know all that about him and have to say, “No, it’s time for bed”. Recently, I’ve established a bedtime routine that we love and leaves him too tired to even ask for anything. I’ll share that with you next time.
Last, but certainly not least, the need for normalcy can override the practical need for sleep. The desire to spend (or waste, if we’re really honest) time doing things that regular moms get to do is strong. A little (sometimes big) part of us just wants to be like everyone else, like a normal family. So, instead of sleeping we decide to watch T.V., read a book, catch up with friends on Facebook, clean the house, and/or surf the net. None of these things are “bad”, but it is harmful when you choose them over taking care of your physical and mental health. Also, it is a fact that the brightness of the computer screen interferes with the bodies sleep patterns. This is what I found at WebMD (you can click on the name to read the rest of the article), “A new study shows that the bright light of a computer screen may alter the body’s biological clock and suppress the natural production of melatonin that’s critical to the normal sleep-wake cycle.”
What is it in your life that you know causes obstacles to sleep? Share in the comment box below to help others identify road blocks to a good night’s sleep that they may not have realized.
Next time, we’ll talk about the many things you can start doing right now to get the rest you need while also working a little more on the issues that keep you from sleeping.
In His Love,
Kimberly
kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com
