Insomnia Sucks: 3 Tips to Stay Healthy Anyway (& *Hopefully* Sleep Better)
I'm writing this in the first week of my third trimester of pregnancy and I'm so grateful to say that I've really lucked out! Besides the beginning being a bit rocky, symptoms haven't been too bad and I've felt really good throughout the last 7 months.
The only symptom that's latched on for the entirety of my pregnancy has been insomnia. Yayyyyy.
Every night, I seem to be able to fall asleep ok, but right about 2:30 AM, I'm up and there's no telling for how long. On my lucky nights it's for 2 hours. On my not-so-lucky nights, I'm up for the day.
I've struggled with sleep issues quite a bit in the past especially when I was experiencing deep depression. Since becoming stable in recovery, however, my sleep issues have looked more like a few wake-ups a night. I view that as a good night of sleep now!
If you're ever had trouble with sleep in any capacity, you know how it affects you. In case you want a refresher, though, here are some symptoms:
You become Cranky Pants McGee, making you a real joy to be around.
Your brain kinda feels like soup which makes for not-so-productive workdays.
Getting to the gym seems a lot less tantalizing (let alone the actual working out part).
If you're prone to depression or anxiety, they seem to live a little closer to the surface on no sleep.
And when we add chronic insomnia into the mix, we get even scarier side effects like cardiovascular disease, anxiety/depression symptoms, diabetes or obesity. [source]
And the super-sucky thing about insomnia is that it makes you care less about your health! The reality is: when you're sleep-deprived, doing little things to keep you healthy is even more important than usual. Good news for you: that's what we're here to talk about.
Today, we're going to focus on the anti-overwhelm way to stay healthy even if you have sleep issues.
You've probably read in articles across the interwebs that things like working out, not napping, mindfulness meditation and yoga can positively affect sleep patterns. But let's be real: when you're sleep-deprived, all that can seem a bit MUCH when all you want to do is collapse on your face.
Little things can have a huge impact on health and sleep patterns, and that's exactly what we're going to focus on. In small doses, I'm going to help you take care of yourself and *hopefully* positively affect your sleep patterns as well! If nothing else, though, you'll at least be doing your part in keeping yourself healthy even when the sandman's a no-show night in and night out.
Without further ado, here are my minimal recommendations for taking care of yourself when you're sleep-deprived.
Take A Morning Walk
When you're massively sleep-deprived, getting to the gym to do your typical workout just isn't tempting. Walking is a great way to keep your body happy while honoring the rest it needs.
This is something I started doing during this pregnancy and it has been baller for my mood during the day. I work from home so it's completely plausible that my day will look like this: I wake up in my home, go to work in my home, then go to sleep in my home. You know what that makes me? A freaking hermit! Plus, it isolates me from the world, opens the door for depression and anxiety and keeps my body from getting the movement it craves.
Since taking my morning walks, I've felt an overall lightness throughout my day even when I don't sleep well. When you feel like crap from getting 2 hours of sleep, anything that helps you feel better is on the table.
Turns out that morning sun exposure is beneficial for sleep rhythms, too. One study showed that morning sunlight exposure produced significantly better sleep quality than none or low exposure. Another study showed that 30 minutes of exercise (walking or running) in the morning sun 5 days per week produced better sleep quality, sleep habits and amount of sleep than both sun exposure alone or neither sun exposure nor exercise.
My morning walks are only about 10 minutes, but after reading this research, I'm thinking of taking them up a notch. If 30 minutes seems like a lot, though, don't worry! I noticed a huge change in my mood just from doing my 10-minute walk. Start there and then–if you want to–increase a little every week.
Eat Protein WITH Whatever Else You're Eating
When you're a sleep-deprived zombie, you want one thing: braaaaains. Wait, I mean caaaaaaaarbs. And simple carbs at that!
When we're low on Z's, we want fast energy. The fastest kind of energy is available in simple carbohydrates and sugars.
Now, I'm not going to tell you not to eat those things (do you know who I am?!). Instead, I'm going to recommend that you get protein along with those things! Also, the protein will help you absorb the carbs/sugars more slowly so you don't crash, leaving you with even less energy than before.
So along with whatever you're craving, plan to get some protein. Protein is a long-lasting source of energy for your body. Plus, low-protein diets can actually cause sleep issues [source] and low energy, so let's just take that out of the equation.
Don't Fight Back
Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? you might be thinking (I can hear you all the way over here, dude).When you wake up at night, your brain might be like mine, automatically going to thoughts like:
Oh my gosh it's happening again. No no no...
I'm not going to get any sleep. I'm going to be so tired tomorrow!
Why can't I just sleep? What's wrong with me?!
None of those thoughts are helpful. In fact, they can make falling back asleep that much harder. Since we don't need help in that department, I'm going to recommend that you meet insomnia with acceptance.
Insomnia–much like depression or anxiety–does not respond well to freaking out or beating yourself up. It usually makes it worse, actually.
Instead of resisting the insomnia, acknowledge it and breathe through it.
And if that's not enough to release the resistance, do as I do: worst case scenario that mother. Ask yourself what the worst case scenario of not sleeping well would be. Usually, that answer is: I'll be tired. Ok, maybe it'll be: I'll be really tired.Since you struggle with sleep issues, I'm guessing you've done tired before, right? While it's not the most fun way to go about your day, it's nothing you can't handle. Acknowledging that you can handle whatever comes your way takes some of the stress out of the situation and allows you to relax...which you may have heard is excellent for sleep!
Beyond helping with sleep habits, this tactic of meeting resistance can help in many areas of your life. For instance, when you eat something you feel guilty about, start feeling anxious or depressed, or are having a hard time with a new movement routine. Letting yourself off the hook and allowing life to be imperfect sometimes makes for a much less difficult life all around.
Closing Words
I hope all of this information helps you see a little sliver of silver at the edge of the dark storm cloud that is no sleep. Before you go, though, I just want to address one thing that we haven't yet...
While I can tell you all these tips and tricks to help, the underlying feeling symptoms of insomnia can include hopelessness and apathy. I want to take a solid moment to drill something into your head. Are you listening?
The way you feel is not who you are.
While you might feel like shit right now thanks to the no sleep thing, you are so much more than that. I know it's hard and it downright sucks not to be able to sleep, but never lose sight of the fact that you are still here, living and breathing, and you deserve hope and help.
If these tactics don't help and you've seemingly tried everything, reach out to a specialist. You might need some hands-on treatment like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (which has been life-changing for me outside of sleep) or medication to get the Z's you're after. And before you go passing judgment, just know that needing help means nothing whatsoever about you as a person. You deserve good sleep just like everyone else. It might just take you something different to get it.
Wishing you a solid eight...or four.
Hugs n' fist bumps,
Amy