Sleepless nights

 

 

 

Sleepless Nights

By Kellijo Eccleston

 

 

     Over the past few weeks my little KaydeeJo has not wanted to sleep at night.  It all started out with her getting a cold.  Since she was congested she had a hard time sleeping and wanted me to hold her all night.    And to be honest, I wanted to hold her so that I knew she was breathing okay. I am such a worrier when my kids are sick.  Plus, I love holding and snuggling my babies while they sleep. I know that this phase in life will not last long so I am just going to soak it in.  My little lady slept against my chest for about a couple weeks. This cold just did not want to go away!  Once she finally started to feel better and could breathe better I thought that she would go back to sleep in her crib, but I was wrong!  Miss KaydeeJo still wants to sleep with me and has kept me up at night for going on three weeks now. She wants me to hold her but she soon gets uncomfortable. So I try putting her in her crib but as soon as I lie here down she just scream sand does not stop. I have very stubborn kids! And since I have never been the type of parent to just let my kids cry it out, I know it will take some time for her to adjust and  I will have to deal with more sleepless nights. So, in the meantime, I need to do whatever it takes to keep my energy up just so I can make it through the day.  Here is what I do to keep my energy levels up for when I am running on little sleep to no sleep.

    Drink water as soon as I am up for the day. While water does not give you energy it does keep you hydrated. Staying hydrated throughout the day will give you energy.  When you dehydrate yourself you start to feel very lethargic so keep that water in your system.  I always keep a water bottle with me so I have no excuses. I never use energy drinks, caffeinated drinks, or drinks that contain lots of sugar.  These will only make you crash and will not keep your energy up throughout the day.

   drink a protein shake first thing in the morning.  Getting a good breakfast is very important. It will help spike your metabolism and get you going.  Since I usually have to eat on the go a shake is perfect for me.  Stay away from breakfast that are full of sugar and have no nutritional value.  You want your food to work for you.  Make sure you are getting enough carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and vitamins.  Some other ideas for breakfast are oatmeal with fruit, yogurt and granola, and eggs with vegies.

    Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!  When I am tired the last thing that I want to do is workout but exercise does increase your energy.  Exercise increase blood flow and carries oxygen and nutrients to muscles which helps muscles to produce more energy.  

     Stay positive. When I wake up and just dwell on the fact that I got no sleep it puts me in a bad mood and I am grumpy all day.  I tend to have no patience and I snap at everyone. I not only ruin my day but everyone else’s.  If I wake up with a positive attitude and do not feel sorry for myself it just makes for a better day. Just remember that there will always be another night for sleep. I want to make each day count and I do not have time to feel sorry for myself. Life is meant to be lived.  Who cares about loss of sleep?!