Sleep Stories

I have never been the best sleeper. I think it is because I get anxious at night- I always have. This cartoon explains it perfectly:

Source: healthyplace.com

 

Usually those thoughts crop up when I am in that hazy place between asleep and fully awake, which means that as I am about to drift off or just as I am about to wake up, I go to a very unhealthy place, emotionally. And if life is good? (Which it usually is now). My mind will make something up or think of something from years ago! Did I chew my food too loudly at that dinner party five years ago? Remember when I laughed too loudly and too soon at a joke in a pub ten years ago? Well, you don’t, but my mind does! Thanks, anxiety.

Thankfully, I have phrases I repeat (that work 20% of the time) to distract my mind or I focus on my breath or I think of what I want to eat for my next meal. These are all good distractions. The other tactic is to make my bedroom as comfortable as possible.

In the summer, we moved into our townhouse. None of our bedroom furniture fit into our new, smaller bedroom so we were forced to redecorate. Josh was a big help- he really has a great eye for decor and should be an architect or graphic designer (maybe in a past life?)- and together we tried to design it like our favourite hotel rooms. The result is gorgeous. It is a tiny bedroom so I am not tempted to clutter it up with extra furniture. It’s goal is clear- just be a comfortable sleeping space. I still REALLY want to add a fun chandelier that matches the style of the curtains and maybe one more large piece of artwork on the side wall, but, otherwise, we are done. Weirdly, the smaller bedroom has the walk-in closet, which makes up for the size of the bedroom itself and provides lots of storage possibility. (I, of course, need that to be ultra-organized, too, or I can feel the clutter calling for me to fix it while I try to sleep).

http://introvertdoodles.com/comic/still-here/

Source: http://introvertdoodles.com/comic/still-here/

The room makes it way easier for me to get to sleep and is a happy place to wake up to. I love the Orchard Plum purple that Josh helped me pick out. I was really struggling to find a “grown-up” shade of purple that didn’t make our room look like a kid’s room or playroom. I didn’t want kitsch but was stuck on it being purple.  I picked out about 20 paint chips and had him help me decide on the final colour. He nailed it.

It is only the getting to sleep that causes me anxiety. Once I am asleep, a lightning bolt in our room couldn’t wake me. The kids even nicknamed me Snorlax for awhile, after they tried to wake me up for breakfast in bed and had trouble doing it. Haha. Mother of the year, again. Hahaha. And good luck if they have a bad dream: It’s Josh that hears them and wakes up now that they’re not babies anymore. I was so good at waking up when they were breastfeeding. Now, unless my mommy-senses are REALLY tingling, I sleep through minor upsets.

The other two things that really help me get and stay asleep are the sleep sounds machine that I got for Josh… but I use it more often than he does! I just bought a cheap model at Shoppers Drug Mart, the Homedics Sound Machine. I can hear where the sounds loop but it does the trick of more expensive choices, so I can’t complain. I bought it so that we could sleep in on weekends if the kids are up early, talking with each other at 6 am. (The curse of the shared bedroom). I use it more often than that. And when we’re not using it, the kids love it to help them sleep! It drowns out the sound of the television in our small house while they fall asleep, which is brilliant for us- and our sanity. It doesn’t get a great rating on Amazon, for whatever reason, but we like it a lot!

The other thing that helps me sleep is the Aroma Air Humidifier that I bought on Amazon. (I’ve been using it nightly for months and still love it!! Really helps me sleep if I’m suffering from a migraine.) The light and humidifier are separate functions, so I only use the colour-changing light during the day or as a reading light. It’s bright! But the humidifier is quiet and you can add essential oils! I drift off to the quiet burbling and shush of the humidifier sending out moisture with the smell of peppermint or lavender. Our room is so small that the tiny amount of moisture it sends into the room actually keeps my skin softer, but my main goal is the quiet white noise it makes and the aromatherapy that helps cut down my anxiety as I drift to sleep.

The colour of the room, the blackout curtains, the lack of excess stuff in the room, the sound machine and the aromatherapy humidifier all help keep my mind calm and ready to sleep. I am really happy with the outcome of our bedroom decor. Writing this makes me want to take a nap…..

What do you use to help you sleep?

Do you get anxiety at bedtime as well?

Is sleep an issue for you or have you always been a good sleeper? Were you that kid that fell asleep on the floor as the adults talk? :p

And here is our bedroom!

Paint: Behr by Home Depot

Bedspread: Sears

Bedroom furniture: IKEA

Curtains: Jysk

Pillows: Wal-Mart

Aromatherapy Humidifier: Amazon

Sound Machine: Shoppers Drug Mart

Lamps: IKEA

Makeup Counter and Mirror: Jysk

Large Canvas Photo: Value Village

 

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