Sleep is an important part of a healthy way of life. Yet some people find it difficult to fall into slumber. In the sixties, people turned to sleeping pills until they got hooked on them. Today people with dark-circled eyes seek help at Sleep Centers. Some are prescribed a sleep apnea machine. Does this look restful?
If you’ve raised a child you know something about bedtime. There are lots of activities involved. There’s walking to sleep, rocking to sleep, singing softly to sleep. There is equipment involved like mechanical swings. They sometimes do the trick! And accessories like a swaddle wrap that hugs the baby tight and securely. Or environmental enhancers like block-out shades which extinguish any peep of sunlight. Don’t forget noise machines.
I personally relied repitition and routine. Give the signals, and then go through with the motions. Let them play in a nice warm bath- then PJs and bed! And the routine changes over the years. When they are young it’s holding and rocking. Then it’s bedtime stories and lights out. As the years go on, the mom job is to check that the phones are put away and the homework isn’t left until the last minute.
If you think through all the efforts put towards your kid’s night sleep, how many comparable attempts are made by adults before they go hook themselves up to what looks like a medieval torture tool?
I don’t think it would be helpful to try to swaddle oneself up into a man-size cocoon, but a few weeks of yoga relaxation techniques might be worth a go. Warm baths and clean sheets can make anyone content enough to drift off into a sweet slumber. A client told me that gold is the preferred wall color for a restful night. Not sure how much it contributes, but the color seems to make me happy.
I mean how many things have people tried on their own before they run in for a professional cure to their sleepless nights?
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