Tips on Ending Insomnia

Dr. Kathryn Sharkey, a sleep expert from Brown University, told the New York Times, “A female patient will come in complaining of insomnia, and when asked how long she’s had it, will say, ‘Fifteen years—ever since my baby was born.’”

What is insomnia?

Almost everyone suffers from sleep deprivation at some point in life. But it can be so bad when you have a young child that it can literally feel like torture. Worse, as exhaustion builds, you may get so anxious—“I have to fall asleep before the baby wakes again!”—that it’s even harder to fall asleep.

Sure, you’re focused on giving your baby lots of care and love. But that shouldn’t be at the expense of your health. In fact, if your baby could speak, he’d say, “Hey—I need you a lot, so stay healthy!”

If you’re getting your baby’s sleep under control but battling insomnia yourself, try these sleep-enhancing tips.

Tips for Insomnia

Insomnia Tip #1: Prepare Your Room

Make sure your room is a little cool, with good ventilation. And remember that white noise isn’t just for your baby! The brain has a hard time paying attention to two things at once, so white noise covers over disturbing sounds from the next-door neighbors or passing trucks or trains. Try white noise for yourself (start it softly, an hour before sleep to give your brain a few days to get used to it).

Even better, white noise covers over the flood of worries that may be preventing sleep from coming. These sounds allow your tired brain to ignore burdensome thoughts and slide more easily into sleep. Many moms and dads find a rain on the roof sound soothing; just start it softly, about an hour before bedtime, and increase the nighttime volume over time.

Note: Not all white noise is the same. Higher-pitched sounds can be alerting, rather than calming. So, if you find white noise annoying, try a lower-pitched sound; for example, the specially engineered Happiest Baby white noise (available in SNOObie and !). And here’s another idea: keep a pen and paper by your bed so you can just jot down important ideas, rather than staying up and fretting that you might forget them.