[Jess]

Hello! I’m almost 4 months postpartum and struggling with broken up sleep – I can’t get more than a 4 hour stretch at night, I wake up multiple times after that. I’ve never struggled like this, even with our first-born. Our second daughter is sleeping through the night so unfortunately I find many nights it’s just me awake in our house struggling to sleep. I have found that using essential oils and taking magnesium before bed helps me fall asleep but I struggle to stay asleep. I happened to find Insomnia Coach after googling postpartum insomnia success stories and a few of his Youtube videos appeared. Some days it’s easier for me to say “this too shall pass…” but other days it’s a struggle to stay in a positive mindset that it will get better.

[Scott]

Jess,

Have you made any adjustments to your sleep routine such as going to bed when your daughter goes to bed in hopes to “catch up” on sleep? It’s important to create a strong sleep drive during the day to help overpower sleep related anxiety and nighttime awakenings. Are you taking any naps during the day, being more sedentary or are you staying engaged in activities throughout the day?

Scott J

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If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Clarity program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Jess]

Hi Scott! Our second goes to bed about 7 pm and our first goes to bed about 8 pm. I stay up until about 9-915 pm then I start my nighttime routine with the diffuser, magnesium, reading to calm my mind in hopes to have lights out around 945-10 pm. I’m finding that allows me to get a good 3-4 hour stretch… I usually wake up between 1230 and 130, move to the living room to do a light activity and fall asleep on the couch. Most of the time (if our second doesn’t wake up to feed) I wake up maybe 1-3 more times.

I’m not taking naps during the day as I work full-time outside of the house, and I try to not take them on the weekends also. If I do I take a nap in the morning and no more than an hour. I am staying engaged in activities throughout the day.

[Scott]

Jess,

I think you shared some good insight into your day and nighttime routines and there’s a couple notes of interest.

I wonder if those bedtime activities are disguised as sleep effort? Sleep is one of those rare things in life that doesn’t reward hard work. The more effort you put into getting a good night’s sleep, the harder sleep becomes.

Do you think you may be forcing sleep to arrive by going to bed at the same time every night or should you consider only going to bed when you’re sleepy?

When you wake in the middle of the night, what is your cue to get out of bed and move to the living room? Do you have anxious thoughts when you wake and become frustrated while lying in bed or do you remain relaxed but just unable to go back to sleep?

Sleep is created by wakefulness (strong sleep drive) and circadian rhythm so naps would greatly diminish the sleep drive you’ve created during the day.

Hope that helps.

Scott J

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Clarity program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Author]

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