Mama and Papa Bedtime Routine: Fun new product to soothe YOU to sleep

I have recently found a handful of pampering products that make you feel relaxed and ready to drift off to sleep. You can make them a part of your bedtime routine.

Begin the wind down of your evening an hour or so before your actual bedtime.

Isn't it nice to wash away the worries of your day and soak in silence as you get ready to sleep. I highly recommend DANI bath's Lemongrass Lavendar vitamin bath soak. It has a wonderful and calming fragrance, a skin nourishing feel, and gives you a wonderful reason to relax in a hot bath. It is made out of sea salt, aloe vera, mango seed oil, and vitamins A, E, and C


Ole Henriksen makes invigorating night gel that "contains a concentrated complex of alpha hydroxy acids, this powerful treatment gel will help you wake up to a brighter, more luminous complexion." It also has the benefits of being an all natural product that can help smooth and refine the texture of your skin. A great addition to your nightly bedtime routine.


I like to follow up the night gel with the best smelling night cream. I fell in love with this product the first time I used it. Sweetsation Therapy makes Organic Aqua Tica Botanical Night Cream. "This cream feels like thick water on your face, with Sea Kelp, Spirulina and Cucumer, providing continuous hydration to your skin all night long." It also contains a combination of essential oils that add nourishment, elasticity, suppleness, delay the aging process, take away dead skin cells and speed up renewal. "The relaxing blend of essential oils will put your mind in a happy place therefore helping you relax and drift to sleep." This is a wonderful organic product for before, during, and after pregnancy. (For a 20% discount on products use Code: 112093109 at checkout, expires 12//31/09).

After washing your face and brushing your teeth, light a candle, sit back with a book, and let your husband massage your feet.

DANI bath also makes a 100% soy wax candle that also comes in the calming Lemongrass and Lavendar scent. Continue your relaxing bedtime routine with this wonderful aroma wafting through the air.

And Sweetsation Therapy has an aromatherapy citrus scented massage oil. Baby Sweet Kisses Bottoms Up organic after baby bath soft massage oil can be used on your feet or your sweet baby's feet or whatever else needs massaging. It is made to moisturize, regenerate, and condition the skin with a blend of Sunflower Oil and Coconut Oil.

Aromatherapy- Can It Help Me Sleep?

Aromatherapy sounds nice- you associate it with candles, day spas, and massage... relaxation- ahhh! But, what do all those pleasant scents actually do to your senses? With a little more information we may be able to help ourselves calm down as the day ends and sleep approaches. Although, aromatherapy is not a proven science, it may be fun to figure out what helps calm you down at the end of the day, here are a few scents that may give you the sense of relaxation.

Lavendar: feelings of contentment, mild sedative and calming effects, soothes babies, soothes new mothers, promotes sleep

Ylang-Ylang: decreases alertness, promotes calmness, reduces stress, un-wind, destress

Lemon: anti-depressant effects, stress relief

German and Roman Chamomile: can help with insomnia and anxiety

Jasmine: relaxes, soothes

My Top 10 Sleep Tips for Parents

1. Prioritize your children's sleep- they need it and you need it. This is the only way for you to get good sleep!! If you need help to make this happen- get it!!

2. Now, make your sleep a priority. Come up with a daily routine of 'to dos' so you have an efficient plan every night to get stuff done and not continue the endless list of 'to dos' late into the night. Take the time to wind down every evening and go to bed with enough time to get a full night's sleep.

3. Just like you make sure your children's sleep environment is quiet, cool, and comfy- make sure yours is too. Make sure you have a good pillow. Make sure you let your room cool off on those hot summer nights. Make sure your room is quiet- try a sound spa or white noise machine.

4. Many of us have tvs in our room and will sit in bed and watch tv or read in bed until you fall asleep. It is suggested that the bedroom is used only for sleep and sex. If you struggle with falling asleep at night, I would make a point of cutting out extra bedroom uses.

5. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol close to bedtime.

6. Exercise! Exercise is a great way to prepare yourself to fall asleep at night. But, make sure you finish 2-3 hours before lights out.

7. Nix the bedtime snacks or that bowl of ice cream before crawling into bed. It is best to finish eating a couple hours before hitting the sack.

8. Don't end your night by pushing the off button on the tv. Try to read, take a bath, talk to your husband... as part of your wind down time. Turn off the tv an hour before going to bed.

9. Avoid stressful conversations in bed or right before bed. You want to go to bed relaxed and ready for dreams of sugar plums. I know this from personal experience- you will miss out on your much needed sleep as you process these issues. Save them for an earlier hour.

10. If sleep issues continue talk to a doctor or other sleep specialist.

YOUR Bedtime Routine

You have your kids bedtime routine down: bath, pajamas, teeth, story, kiss and hug, and lights out. Then, you race off to clean up dinner, throw a load of laundry in, check email, and before you know it, it is 10pm, and you haven't taken any time for yourself. So, you sit down in front of the television, and watch Gray's Anatomy for an hour. And scurry off to get ready for bed, where you skip flossing because you are beat and you want to try and get your needed 8 hours of sleep.

Now in bed, you toss and turn as you try to quickly forget the trials and triumphs of the day and ignore the 'to dos' of tomorrow. Finally, you drift to sleep 45 minutes later as you try not to forget you are supposed to bring snack to preschool in the morning.

STOP!! We all need to stop. We are probably all guilty of this psychotic parent behavior. We need to create our own bedtime routine. We need to relax and calm down, take frantic down a few notches, and revisit the days when life was simpler. Don't remember? Well, let's start from scratch.

Some things to consider as you develop a nighttime routine:
1. What time do you need to get up? If you need to get up at 6am- figure out your bedtime by subtracting 8 hours... hmm- 10pm... yes, your new bedtime.
2. Turn off the TV, computer... an hour before bedtime- thank goodness for DVRs right?
3. Avoid exercising 3 hours before bedtime, especially if you are one to struggle with falling asleep at night.
4. Follow this routine weekdays and weekends.
5. What is your bedroom like? You want it to be dark, comfortable, and cool. You may also want to consider a fan, sound spa, or other white noise maker to help drown out outside noises and possibly your mind.
6. Plan your dinner time earlier- you want to be done eating 2-3 hours before bedtime.
7. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

Now, what should you include in your bedtime routine- some things to consider:

• Bath or shower- use some nice aromatherapy bath salts
• Journaling to clear your full mind
• Reading a book- make sure it a relaxing book
  
• Playing a game with your husband or talking about your days
• Listening to relaxing music
• Taking the time you need to wash your face, brush your teeth...
  

Sunday Sleep Dilemma: Stress and Sleep

Q: How much does stress effect our sleep?

A: According to the National Sleep Foundation not all insomnia is due to stress but it is highly probable. "Stress causes insomnia by making it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep, and by affecting the quality of your sleep. Stress causes hyperarousal which can upset the balance between sleep and wakefulness." So, the solution is easy right? You remove the stress and you remove the insomnia. This is true- but is it that easy? Can you remove the stress?

Some tips on resetting your sleep from the National Sleep Foundation:
1. Set your bedtime and waketime according to the number of hours you are currently sleeping. If you are sleeping six hours for example go to sleep at 12am and wake up at 6am. Then, gradually increase the amount of time you sleep by 15 minutes or so every few days.

2. Take some time for yourself and relax before bedtime. Your brain actually needs this cool down period before going to sleep- NSF suggests beginning this process 2 HOURS before you plan on going to sleep. I am certain this is atypical for most parents- but give it a try! We are better parents when we are well-rested. Stop phone calls, email, work... and an hour before bed stop TV. Ideas for filling this time: bath, reading, playing a game with your husband, listening to music...

3. Only use your bedroom for pleasant activities. You don't want to feel anxious or tense when you go to bed.



Some tips on reducing stress:
-Avoid or limit caffeine- it can actually enhance stress levels and effect your quality of sleep.
-Journal
-Take a bath and read a book
-Exercise- but not too close to bedtime
-Sex- known to be a tension reliever
-Music
-Take a mid-day nap (check out Nap 26 next Monday)
-Get a hug, give a hug
-Daydream- better yet daydream in a hammock
-Take up a hobby to help you unwind in the evenings: drawing, painting, writing, playing music. singing, gardening,...
-Laugh!!
-Take a walk
-Eat a balanced diet, limit caffeine and alcohol
-Play a game

You need sleep to function well. Take the time to let go of stress, take some time for yourself, and do what you need to do to get adequate sleep. Most of the things that cause you stress and cause you to busy yourself can wait until tomorrow.