down your digestion), can be
a recipe for an irritated night!
Wash that down with a citrus
drink- these will irritate the
esophagus by stimulating
and irritating sensory nerves,
causing inflammation on top
of acid reflux!
Sleep inducing foods include
the age old cup of warm milk.
The amino acid tryptophan
makes your eyelids heavy
by raising levels of serotonin
in your brain. This leads to a
calming, and sleep-promoting
effect. Combine this with a
high protein snack/carb snack
before bed to keep your
blood sugar up, and stimulate
the release of insulin. This will
prevent nausea, bad dreams
or sweats. Try half a sandwich
with peanut butter, or an egg
and see the difference over a
week!
Make your bedroom a Sleep
Sanctuary, and ONLY use it for
sleep and sex! Invest in a good
quality mattress and pillow
for head, back and tummy
support, maybe a smaller
pillow for under your hips.
Bedroom temperature should
be between 18-22 degrees
for comfortable sleep. Dark
enough and quiet enough so
tempory block out blinds and
music to sleep and relax may
need to be a consideration.
Clean sheets, aromatherapy
for pregnancy and sleep are
also a lovely addition. Walk
into your bedroom and ask
yourself is there something
that can be changed in
regards to sleep? Ban all
electronic equipment from
the bedroom. That means
i-phones and lap tops. EMF
exposure before bedtime will
disrupt quality of sleep. It will
also help resist the temptation
to check FaceBook and emails
at 3am, by simply reaching
over to the bedside table!
Establish a regular, relaxing
bedtime routine. In the
hour before bed turn off all
computer equipment, have
a cup of soothing hot milk
or camomile tea, listening
to quiet music, with a bath
followed by an aromatic foot
rub......
Stick to a sleep schedule- We
are creatures of habit and
conditioning, going to bed
earlier means better sleep,
and it resets our body clock-
as my four year old little boy
says to me "same bat time,
same bat channel"! Adequate
exposure to natural sunlight
during the day, increases
our melantoin levels, and
serotonin levels, so at your
lunch break pop outside for a
quick indulge.
Learning how to relax by
practicing muscle relaxation
techniques and visualization.
I always recommend going
to bed with meditation music.
Choose your music by thinking
is this relaxing to listen to?
Make sure it goes for at
least 60mins. Then once in a
comfortable position starting
from head to toe squeeze
and relax all individual
muscles till you reach your
toes. Then scan your entire
body for areas of tension and
repeat, repeat, repeat! Whilst
doing this visulizw your most
favourite place in nature, or an
event in your life where your
have been, happy, relaxed
and at peace.
Implement Stress and Time
Management Techniques
After completing a maternity
stress questionnaire will
always give me an indication
of my clients biggest
concerns. This can be
anything from anticipated birth
fears, to financial concerns of
going down to one income!
In some cases this can even
discover underlining health
issues that might need
further follow-up with my
client's health care-provider.
Stress in our body's causes
us to release higher levels
of cortisol- flight and fight
response- learning how
to moderate that, or even
prevent that by activates
that increase secretion of
endorphins (our natural happy
drugs), will always lead to a
better night sleep. A newborn
does change the dynamics
of our family. That leisurely
breakfast outing can still
continue, when combined
with a pram and dog walk!
FINAL TIP FORGET THE
CLOCK...if you don't know what
time you wake up you can't
dwell on how much sleep
you have not had. Realistically
sleep needs to be replaced
with restive sleep not number
of hours, important tip for
when bub arrives! HAPPY
SLEEPING!
The role of a Family Sleep
Consultant is to empower
clients by offering support
and education in a non-biased
fashion that is tailored for
meeting the unique sleep
needs of each in individual
family during pregnancy and
postpartum. A Family Sleep
Consultant is committed to
advising their clients of all their
options so that they may make
informed decisions.
ByAmandaBude
21
MM
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