Power naps

I rarely get a full nights sleep. My oldest is 11 and has never slept well. Between that, illnesses, bad dreams, etc, it's a safer bet that I will be up during the night at some time. Even when all the children cooperate, I find myself getting up out of habit. I ended up sleeping as late as I could each day to try to recoup lost sleep. Although I may get 7-9 hours of sleep, I still don't feel fully rested. So I started getting up at the same time every day to give myself some time to myself and hopefully help my body to sleep more efficiently when it settles into a predictable rhythm.

I have dozed off a couple times while the little ones were napping or watching a show especially during first trimesters of pregnancies. So I wondered if I could make 20 minute power naps as part of our regular schedule. I decided to schedule one show for the kids to watch in the morning and afternoon. I can fall asleep quickly so I sleep for 20 minutes and wake up refreshed. The children watch their show and stay out of trouble.

There are a lot of benefits to napping. The productivity aspect is the best for me. In the late morning when I'm starting to lose steam, I nap and then my alertness and energy are back so I can continue making the most of my time instead of trudging on for hours at half steam. Same goes for mid-afternoon. I might could get by with one power nap but with appointments and activities for the children, some days one half of the day gets shot. At those times, I still have one power nap time available rather than none.

By making the nap my priority and not a rule for the children, I have elevated it to cool status. Both David and James have made comments about needing THEIR power nap. They're not quite as good at getting wound down and really sleeping but maybe in time. Hopefully, this will be a tool for them as adults to pay attention to their bodies and give it the rest it needs.

Caffeine doesn't work with power naps. My metabolism has gotten faster so the caffeine that once relaxed and calmed me is revving my heart beat. But I do love tea and coffee. There are even health benefits. There's about 8 hours between my second power nap and my bedtime so I have my coffee after my second nap instead of first thing in the morning. My morning beverage is Good Girl Moonshine. I keep a jar of concentrated ginger tea in the fridge to add to my water with apple cider vinegar, lemon and a bit of stevia. The lemon and ginger provide a major boost to my digestive system. Apple cider vinegar has lots of benefits but the major one for me is that it somehow works as a decongestant. If I have a lot of congestion, within minutes of drinking I can feel the congestion coming down the back of my throat and clearing my head. If I drink it regularly, no problems that a quick sinus rinse won't alleviate.

Another benefit is helping to remember to brush the little ones' teeth. I have a much easier time remember before bed instead of after meals. Primarily because they'll be dilly-dallying with their cup of milk or juice so I'll postpone until they finish only to end up forgetting. Now I can just remember to brush before every sleep and always get it done 2-3 times a day. The past two dentist appts have had just one child with cavities. Maybe next time, we'll have no cavities at all.