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If there’s one thing that you can absolutely be sure of as a new parent, it is sleeplessness. Once your little one enters your life, a lot of things can change in your life drastically. Your sleeping patterns are one of them, and there’s no way around it. Between your baby’s sleeping, feeding, and diaper changing schedules, new parents find it extremely hard to get a few hours of solid shuteye. Naturally, it’s not easy to be sleepless. It can make you super tired and outright exhausted. Even in your waking hours, you don’t get a lot of rest. You have to juggle between taking care of your baby, household chores, and your own work. No, we don’t mean to scare you, but we don’t want to sugarcoat the reality either. Therefore, here are a few tips for you to survive the exhaustion of being a new parent:
Trick Your Mind And Body
You probably got less than two hours of continuous sleep the previous night, but when it’s morning time, follow your morning routine. Draw open the curtains, brush your teeth, take a shower and change into fresh clothes (even if you’re changing into a new set of pajamas). Pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the early morning sounds of birds chirping (if you can). Basically, do everything you usually would do in the morning to trick yourself into thinking you slept.
Take Power Naps Every Chance You Get
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If you feel like slapping the next person who tells you to “sleep when the baby sleeps”, you are not alone. It’s not practical advice because when your baby sleeps is when you get some free time to do all the chores that have piled up throughout the day (or weeks). We understand that. However, it’s crucial that you get some rest too. So try and sneak in a few power naps throughout the day every time you get a chance. They can be as small as fifteen-minute naps too. But catching up on some sleep might really help you function better.
Step Out Of The House
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Get up and get out of your house. Some fresh air, sunlight and light exercise will do you good. Remember not to drive when you’re sleep-deprived, as it could be dangerous. But walk around your neighborhood for a while. Maybe soak in some sunlight and admire the trees, plants, and flowers around you.
Engage Your Mind
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Yes, you’re exhausted and feel like you want to sleep for two whole months. We know that it’s not easy but keep your mind occupied to feel more awake. If you feel too tired, call a friend and vent to them. You could also solve a puzzle, learn some dance moves, write down lists, write a song or start a novel. Besides, some studies suggest that we are most creative when we’re tired (1). So who knows, maybe you’ll be the next new author in town!
Take Turns
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You and your partner probably knew that it would be hard to raise a baby. But you are in this together, so help each other out. Take turns to nap, rest, eat and shower. You will probably have the energy to alternate between taking care of your baby and yourself when you have time to rest in between. Therefore, take turns and do it in shifts. If your baby is fussy at night, one parent can stay up while the other gets some sleep. You can swap the roles the following day. You’re a team, so do it together and help each other out.
Live In Denial
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While this might seem like terrible advice, it sometimes works just to tell yourself that you are not tired. Pretend that you had a night of normal sleep, and your mind might actually believe you. Like we mentioned earlier, you can trick yourself into thinking that you don’t need sleep. However, remember that it’s not a permanent fix. But it works well for emergencies. On the contrary, talking about how tired you are may actually make you feel more tired.
Remember That It’s Temporary
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It might not seem like it, but your exhaustion is temporary. Soon, your baby will have a regularized sleep cycle, and you can go back to getting your sound sleep. Besides, before you realize it, your baby will grow up, and these zombie-like days of being a new parent will be far behind you. So, remember that no matter how hard it gets, it’s temporary. Tell yourself that this too shall pass!
It’s not easy being a parent, especially a new one. You have to be there for your baby constantly, and getting some time to yourself is a luxury that new parents cannot afford. But remember that it’ll get better with time. You will get to snuggle up in bed and get a total of eight hours of sleep in due time. What are some techniques you used to survive your initial days of exhaustion as a new parent? Let us know in the comments below!
