sleep
so another post about sleep...yawn (pun kind of intended!)
Theo's sleep is more or less stable these days, which is a huge HUGE victory. We have our routine, and Rob pretty much runs bedtime now, leaving me with an hour in the evening to unwind and well blog...like now! He has his bad nights, where he occasionally still comes in the bed with me and we kick daddy out into Theo's single bed, but for the main part he's good. He has to go to sleep cuddling his three toys, which he'll ask for in turn (elmo, rabbit and sully) and he has to have his water in his arms too. Sometimes he'll wake in the night, Rob will go in, he'll ask for his water and when it's found and back in his arms he rolls right over and goes back to sleep.
But this post isn't so much about how Theo's sleeping now, it about how I'M sleeping. I was contacted to take part in a survey by SilentNight as to how well I sleep. A year ago I would have laughed at the word sleep and questioned what it was again...but now that Theo's sleeping on average of 11 hours a night pretty much straight through I guess I am getting what they call sleep.
But after 18 months or longer of suffering from sleep deprivation it made me wonder how my sleep patterns have changed and what effect it's had on my quality of sleep. I still have that ability to wake up instantly if I hear him in his bedroom, but now I know that he can get himself back to sleep I just drift back off moments later (unless he's properly crying that is, then we will go and see what's wrong). When Theo first started sleeping a bit better, and I was able to sleep for stretches of 4 or more hours in a row I know that I definitely felt worse for it. How can that be? All my body was craving was sleep, a full nights sleep, and I was having it but then feeling worse. I guess your body just gets used to functioning on such little sleep that any difference takes some adjusting to. Now if Theo has a bad night and we're kept awake for an hour or so, or he wakes up early, I feel terrible again. Even if it's and hours less sleep, it will feel as though I've only slept for a few hours.
So what I've realised is that now my body really needs the same amount of sleep, and good sleep, every night to feel refreshed and normal the next day. I guess it has been under so much pressure and change in the last two years, that any changes now just have a massive effect!
But sometimes I find it hard to get to sleep at night, or if I wake up (not always because of Theo) I find it difficult to get back to sleep properly. I think my mind is still whirring away, then I can't get comfy and I spend the night tossing and turning. It's frustrating knowing how much you need the sleep, and the only thing keeping you awake is you.
So after I filled out the survey I was sent a product to test to see if it would aid my sleep. Through the answers I gave I was sent some 'beauty sleep concentrate' from Neal's Yard.
I was excited to try it, as I love Neal's Yard products. It was beautifully packaged and I love the signature blue glass bottles. The smell of the product is lovely, it really makes you feel relaxed when applying it. I like the routine of settling into bed, taking my makeup off and moisterising. I think these steps to try and make me relax and switch off definitely help when settling my mind to go to sleep. After using it for a few days I have definitely noticed the difference in my skin, it feels softer, and looks more even.
I think what I really need to do to help me sleep is to maintain some sort of routine when it comes to going to sleep, much like Theo has the same routine every night and bedtime triggers. This means not looking at my phone/computer or watching something intense like the walking dead right before going to sleep and to have a beauty regime that relaxes me. I know I don't like to admit it, but my skin and body aren't what they used to be and I really need to start taking care of it a little more!
This is a sponsored post and I was gifted the product to test, but have received no payment for this post, and all words and opinions are my own.
Theo's sleep is more or less stable these days, which is a huge HUGE victory. We have our routine, and Rob pretty much runs bedtime now, leaving me with an hour in the evening to unwind and well blog...like now! He has his bad nights, where he occasionally still comes in the bed with me and we kick daddy out into Theo's single bed, but for the main part he's good. He has to go to sleep cuddling his three toys, which he'll ask for in turn (elmo, rabbit and sully) and he has to have his water in his arms too. Sometimes he'll wake in the night, Rob will go in, he'll ask for his water and when it's found and back in his arms he rolls right over and goes back to sleep.
But this post isn't so much about how Theo's sleeping now, it about how I'M sleeping. I was contacted to take part in a survey by SilentNight as to how well I sleep. A year ago I would have laughed at the word sleep and questioned what it was again...but now that Theo's sleeping on average of 11 hours a night pretty much straight through I guess I am getting what they call sleep.
But after 18 months or longer of suffering from sleep deprivation it made me wonder how my sleep patterns have changed and what effect it's had on my quality of sleep. I still have that ability to wake up instantly if I hear him in his bedroom, but now I know that he can get himself back to sleep I just drift back off moments later (unless he's properly crying that is, then we will go and see what's wrong). When Theo first started sleeping a bit better, and I was able to sleep for stretches of 4 or more hours in a row I know that I definitely felt worse for it. How can that be? All my body was craving was sleep, a full nights sleep, and I was having it but then feeling worse. I guess your body just gets used to functioning on such little sleep that any difference takes some adjusting to. Now if Theo has a bad night and we're kept awake for an hour or so, or he wakes up early, I feel terrible again. Even if it's and hours less sleep, it will feel as though I've only slept for a few hours.
So what I've realised is that now my body really needs the same amount of sleep, and good sleep, every night to feel refreshed and normal the next day. I guess it has been under so much pressure and change in the last two years, that any changes now just have a massive effect!
But sometimes I find it hard to get to sleep at night, or if I wake up (not always because of Theo) I find it difficult to get back to sleep properly. I think my mind is still whirring away, then I can't get comfy and I spend the night tossing and turning. It's frustrating knowing how much you need the sleep, and the only thing keeping you awake is you.
So after I filled out the survey I was sent a product to test to see if it would aid my sleep. Through the answers I gave I was sent some 'beauty sleep concentrate' from Neal's Yard.
I was excited to try it, as I love Neal's Yard products. It was beautifully packaged and I love the signature blue glass bottles. The smell of the product is lovely, it really makes you feel relaxed when applying it. I like the routine of settling into bed, taking my makeup off and moisterising. I think these steps to try and make me relax and switch off definitely help when settling my mind to go to sleep. After using it for a few days I have definitely noticed the difference in my skin, it feels softer, and looks more even.
I think what I really need to do to help me sleep is to maintain some sort of routine when it comes to going to sleep, much like Theo has the same routine every night and bedtime triggers. This means not looking at my phone/computer or watching something intense like the walking dead right before going to sleep and to have a beauty regime that relaxes me. I know I don't like to admit it, but my skin and body aren't what they used to be and I really need to start taking care of it a little more!
This is a sponsored post and I was gifted the product to test, but have received no payment for this post, and all words and opinions are my own.
Great pictures, which camera do you shoot with?
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