Any tricks for getting YOURSELF back to sleep?

We have been fairly lucky around here (fingers crossed) recently and have been sleeping until 4:30 or 5am. This is a GREAT stretch! Once they both even slept through until 6:45 and then it was up and start the day but usually it is up at 5 or so and then back down until DD wakes DS (who naps for about 5-6hrs. during the day and sleeps from 7:30-7:30 easy with one brief wake up, lazy, like his dad )
up with her constant playing and chatter.

ANYWAY, I have the hardest time going back to sleep once I am up. I don't really even have that much on my mind and although I am getting a great 10:30-4:30 stretch I would love to know if anyone has any tricks regarding getting yourself back to sleep. I don't mind being up with them at all but they are (thankfully, and fingers crossed again) pretty good about going right back down after a quick diaper change and small bottle and I am left laying there. The other morning I just lay there from 4:30 until they woke at 6:45. It is like I lay there waiting for them to wake up.

Any tricks you want to share...counting sheep, etc..

Not complaining at all....just thought maybe I would post about how to help mom and dad sleep instead of the babies for once!

Amy

 

Ugh!! This is the worst, isnt it. I remember when my boys finally started sleeping that nice stretch and would wake at like 4a and go back down I would just lay there too. I used to do math in my head or pick a place that I used to live and try and drive by car in my head...its like Mapquest only I am doing the driving directions :huh: . I know strange....but it worked.

 

If I can successfully shut out all intruding thoughts and go through the words of a long song: think "American Pie" or something else with lots of words that you know, I can go back to sleep. That's what works for me.

 

You might laugh at me. I count back from 100 or I pray. Either one puts me right back to sleep.

 

I tell myself, "OK, I'll just lie down for 15 minutes, and if I don't fall asleep, then I'll get up." Most times, it works. Taking away the pressure to fall asleep helps a lot. And if I can't fall asleep, then I get up and do something fun, like have coffee and read.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Oct 19 2007, 02:58 PM) [snapback]457862[/snapback]
You might laugh at me. I count back from 100 or I pray. Either one puts me right back to sleep.


Not laughing at all - praying used to work for me but for some reason it does not put me back to sleep lately. I think that is sooooo funny because I was going to say that is what I used to do in my original post!!!!

Amy

 

It is definitely hard! One thing that helped for me was to sleep on the couch, at least during that last period of the night when I was half-awake anyway. DH's moving around and snoring really bothers me. If I was on the couch, I could feel like I was sort of dozing off by accident, rather than Trying to Sleep.

I also try a relaxation technique from a CD my therapist recommended. The CD is called "Letting Go of Stress," and I recommend it, but the technique is really simple -- just completely relax your entire body (check all your muscles to make sure you're not tensing anything) and then watch your breathing. Don't breathe on purpose -- just let each breath happen whenever it wants to, and observe it. After a few minutes of this, you can consciously start breathing more deeply -- but still let each breath start whenever it wants to, just prolong it a little by opening up your diaphragm.

This usually relaxes me enough that I can fall asleep -- but it still works better if I think "I'm just relaxing -- I don't care if I actually fall asleep or not."

 

I give myself an ultimatum....either you go to sleep or you get up and fold laundry! ha!

 

I'm not up with babies, but I do have trouble going to sleep and going back to sleep once I wake up. One tip I actually read on TS awhile back was this trick I use all the time now and it really works.
Pick a "category" and then go through the alphabet naming things that fit into that category. For instance, foods:
A - Apple
B- Broccolli
C- Candy
D - Doughnuts
etc

Other categories I use: Places (towns/countries etc), Songs, Baby names (LOL) etc