Week 2 of the 52 small changes - learning to sleep train ourselves

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Once again, all are welcome to join!

We are still continuing to drink the water we started in week one alongside the new challenge.

The aim is to get 7-8 hours sleep a night (adjust that as you see fit to work with your own requirements) and the tips are as follows:

1. Check your sleeping environment. The room should be dark and quiet (if you live near a busy road or have a lot of light coming through a window then consider a blind or white noise CD). Sleep in good quality sheets and comfortable sleepwear that isn't too tight/restrictive. Keep your bedroom at the correct temperature and humidity (consider a humidifier or dehumidifier if necessary).
   

1. Keep to a sleep schedule. Figure out what time you need to go to sleep in order to get the right amount of sleep, move your bedtime back by 15 minutes each day to get to the right point. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
   

1. Any exercise should be done in the morning or afternoon.
   

1. Create a sleep schedule. An example is: drink a cup of herbal tea, take a bath with lavender oil, play soothing and relaxing music, dim the lights before bedtime, write a to-do list for the next day to rest your mind.
   

1. Avoid sugar and caffeine after 2:30pm
   

1. Limit alcohol and smoking
   

1. Don't eat or drink anything for 2-3 hours before sleeping.

[RattieOfCatan]

Checking in, I start week two tomorrow :)

[Sirona]

Ok I start this tonight. Happily coincides with school starting back tomorrow. May prove difficult, we have been keeping bad hours and I've been struggling to try and get 3yo dc to bed earlier again. Might have to take her out to burn off some major energy today

I'm not the greatest sleeper either, not helped by ds who occasionally sleepwalks, coughs a lot at night (asthma) and my youngest co-sleeps with me and is so restless.

I will try though :)

[Allgunsblazing]

So, fresh bedding is on, new naice candle ready, I'll have a shower and fresh pyjamas. I plan to read a bit too. Lights off at 10.30.

[parrotonmyshoulder]

I'm going to join in too. Combining weeks 1&2 though as festivities continued too long! I don't drink much caffeine, only a very important coffee in the morning!

Shiny new house and bedroom, so should be good for sleep. We have blackout blinds in the room. However, the DC's sleep pattern has been messed up by moving and Christmas so we're not back to normal yet. Work, school, nursery all start tomorrow so things will change!

I really want to stop work anxiety ruining my sleep. If I had better sleep, I'd do better work so would have less to worry about.

[MajesticWhine]

I have awful bed time habits, I procrastinate about going to bed and then do mindless things on my phone or read my kindle for ages. I can banish the phone. I will aim to read for a bit and set a deadline for lights out, starting with 11.30 and moving back towards 11.00. I drink normal tea at tea time any time up to 6pm and have no plans to change that.

[ICJump]

New bedroom arrangements went well and our bedroom is much calmer.
One more night at home then camping. I've got nice sheets for the camping mattress. Packed her. Teas but will be drinking :)

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Marking my place with a 2L bottle of water

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Right so my normal sleep time is between 2 and 3am which is obviously no good! I'm aiming for 1am tonight and then to move back by 15 mins each night this week.

I'll go shopping today for a nice de caffeinated tea but I normally find them all really bitter or too weak so end up adding sugar. Does anybody have any recommendations for tea that tastes nice without needing to be sweetened?

[OddSocksHighHeels]

Oh yeah, still going with the water as well! I'm still using up cucumber today but I think I'll switch to lemon and lime added to it for tomorrow.

[RainbowDashed]

Sleep hygiene isn't too much of a problem for me, unless I start playing bastard candy crush after I get into bed. What I can take from this week is cutting down on caffeine after lunch, which won't do me any harm at all. Also I'm having a couple of weeks without alcohol which will help no end.

I need to get this water thing sorted, I've been rubbish. Life is getting back to normal after Christmas so hopefully that'll help.

I have been an insomniac, I worked late shifts and nights for years and I'm a natural night owl anyway. This is why I've already done the sleep hygiene thing. It helps enormously that my kids are past the age of night wakings, dd2 sometimes crawls in with me but doesn't disturb me. Milky drink, relaxing sleep hypnosis app and making sure I'm already prepared for the following day really help I find.

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

I like adding lime and mint to water - like a mojito, only less rum obvs

[MrFMercury]

I'm going to give it a go. I'll have to work on the no caffeine thing and also try and stop reading my kindle in bed both of which will be a challenge.

[quirkychick]

I did spend sometime sorting out sleep last year. Dd2 has SEN and we were under a sleep clinic (think getting up at all hours and playing/hiding in wardrobe). So once that was more under control, I did the Headspace sleep package, which certainly helped me stop stressing about sleep and learn to go back to sleep.

Dp is on board, so we are both going to attempt to go to bed at 10pm. Tonight is War and Peace and then bedtime. Usually, dp works in the evening and comes down to watch the news. By which time I get second wind and then we start talking... and then bedtime gets later.

[BugritAndTidyup]

Checking in with the thread, although I am happy with the amount of sleep I get on the whole, so I am doing my own challenge: decluttering a bag a day.

Also curious to know what next week's challenge is, too

[quirkychick]

I have a Health and Happiness board on Pinterest, which I might revisit. Give me some inspiration...

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

I forgot about this thread yesterday

For this week, I'm going to try and follow good sleep habits. DS is in a reasonable sleep period and, although I might not get 7-8 hours unbroken, I can certainly make it a possibility by good sleep hygiene and getting to bed on time.

Mon-Friday, I'm also going to declutter by a bag a day. Anyone who wants to join welcome. (Promise no declittering for those on the last thread)

[Pointlessfan]

Ooh I like sleeping! Unfortunately toddler DD hasn't been sleeping too well lately which has impacted on me.
I want to cut down caffeine anyway as ttc and I don't want it to be a big shock when I'm (hopefully) pregnant and have to cut it out. Last time I had a headache for the first 8 weeks due to caffeine withdrawal.

[OddSocksHighHeels]

pointless I had that same headache with caffeine withdrawal when I was pregnant. It was horrible! It took me a while to figure out why I had a permanent headache as well.

So, I have bought some Redbush tea, I'll give that a go later to see if I like it. I'm going to aim to be up by the same time each day as well. 8am I think but I'll see how that goes. I'll be in bed by 1am and trying to move that back by 15 minutes each day though I'm not holding much hope there! I've had no caffeine since 2pm today and no sugar either that I can remember. I've also had my 1.5 litres of water today.

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Wow, some of you are able to get up really late! I have to be up at 6am for work!

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

Joining!

[FiftyNineOhEight]

Thank you for this - I am back to work tomorrow, so the idea of an early night is a good one - or at least starting to get myself ready for bed at a decent time.

[OddSocksHighHeels]

parrot I'm looking for a job at the minute so don't need to be up at a particular time. My last job was shift work though so it never would have worked then.

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Sorry, didn't mean that to sound as it did when I read it back! I've had two weeks off and can't believe I have to get up so early tomorrow. After 6 years of early waking babies and children, mine have spent the Christmas holiday waking up at respectable times like 7 or even later!

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

I am generally up at 7, but for the last 12 months DS has woken around 5.30. Sometimes I get back off if he does, sometimes he doesn't go back to sleep, sometimes he does but I don't (and sometimes DH relieves me and I do!!).

For the last two days he's slept until after 7. Bit of a shock! DH and I both commented on how shit we've felt.

[ArriettyMatilda]

I'm going to start the good sleep habits tomorrow, dd turned two today so we were up late preparing and clearing up after! She doesn't sleep through but I need to stop going on my phone whilst I settle her back to sleep as then I'm wide awake. I'm also happy to cut back on caffeineated drinks, so I'll give that a go. Love to have the support of these threads and trying new things.