9 Sleep Hacks For The Busy Mompreneur

The post 9 Sleep Hacks For The Busy Mompreneur appeared first on The Founding Moms.

Being a mom is a full time job in and of itself. Making sure your kids are fed, do their homework, taking them to and from sports, are behaving, are safe, and so, so much more. Then when you combine that with trying to start a business, you’re left with no time in the day, and a million more things to do! Mompreneurs seriously have to be some of the hardest workers on the planet! And although it may seem exhausting raising kids, and growing a business at the same time, you do have a secret weapon in your arsenal that will help you push through every day and achieve your goals – sleep.

Why Is Sleep So Important For A Mom Entrepreneur?

Those who don’t get enough sleep at night pay for it during the day. You’re foggy headed, moody, irritable, forgetful, can’t focus, tired, and lack essential energy. The old saying “burn the midnight oil” isn’t for women who manage a family and a business. You need to be ON. You need to be sharp and focused. It’s better for you to have 6 hours of highly focused work during the day (maybe when your kids are at school) than 8 hours of unfocused work. You will be more productive, get more done, be healthier, happier, and more pleasant for your family if you get enough sleep.

So without further adieu, here are 9 sleep hacks that every mompreneur should follow to make sure they’re getting enough high quality sleep so they can crush the next day, and go to bed that night feeling like they made a difference.

1.   Wake Up Early

Chances are if you have kids, you set strict bedtimes for them. And depending on their ages these bedtimes are probably pretty early. So lead by example, and go to bed at the same time as them. That way you can get up much earlier and seize the day. You can get a couple hours of productive work done before the kids even get out of bed! And if you don’t feel tired at night, don’t worry. Forcing yourself up early will make you much more tired at night, and after a few nights of this you’ll be in a great sleep routine where you’re getting up early, having coffee, and kicking butt!

2.   Cut The Alcohol At Night

Alcohol is a nice way to wind down at the end of the day, for sure. But it also completely messes up your sleep cycle. It increases your heart rate while you sleep, and prevents you from accessing your deep REM sleep cycle that’s so restorative. You will also have a much harder time getting out of bed in the morning, and you won’t feel nearly as sharp, and therefore won’t be as productive. Try saving a drink for the end of the week when you’ve “won the week” through being highly productive, or just cut it altogether!

3.   Turn Your Phone On “Do Not Disturb” When You Sleep

Chances are you’re getting emails, slacks, social media notifications, etc. at all hours of the day – even in the middle of the night. Even if your phone is on “vibrate” the vibrations and light your phone puts out when it lights up is enough to wake up everyone in the room. It will pull you out of deep sleep, and can lead to you being much less productive the next day. That’s why when you’re sleeping you need to turn your phone to “Do Not Disturb.” That way you can deal with all of the notifications in the morning when you’ve woken up and feel great!

4.   Wear Blue Light Blocking Glasses Before Bed

It’s become so common to want to be on your computer, iPad, or phone before bed to read last minute emails, comments on your blog, check sales, or whatever. The problem with doing this right before bed is the blue light from your devices stops your brain from producing as much melatonin, which is the hormone you need for sleep. And we totally get wanting to check in on your business before bed, just try using blue blocking glasses to prevent the blue light that is emitted from your devices from shutting down your melatonin production. You’ll sleep much better.

5.   Avoid Naps During The Day

Sorry sis, but napping during the day can actually make it harder for you to fall asleep at night. This creates a domino effect where you fall asleep later, and then miss getting up at your early morning wakeup call, and as a result the rest of your day is ruined because you took a nap the day before.

6.   Try To Create A Consistent Sleep Schedule

Going to bed at the same time every night, and getting up at the same time every morning taps into your body’s circadian rhythm, and makes it a million times easier for you to go to bed and get up in the morning. This is actually the biggest sleep hack, because once you get a routine down, sleep stops becoming something you think about having to do or get ready for. It just happens naturally, because you train your body’s internal clock by doing this consistently. If you have sporadic bedtimes and wake ups, your circadian rhythm will be a mess and you won’t be operating at 100% each day.

7.   Write Before Bed

Writing before bed can be very therapeutic. And because it gets your mind onto a single track of focus, it can help lull you into sleep. For mompreneurs, this is a great habit to develop every night because it allows you to write down what you accomplished today, and what your goals are for tomorrow. This can be an extremely productive aspect of your night time routine.

8.   Workout During The Day

Running a business is all about keeping your energy levels high, so you can stay productive. Working out for 30 minutes per day not only increases your endorphins, but it’s good for your mind, and will actually make you more focused and productive in the long run. The best part is, studies show that people who workout for at least 15-30 minutes per day sleep better at night, so get your workout in! If you’re feeling lazy or lethargic during the day, go for a 30 minute jog. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel when you get back, and it also allows you time to brainstorm about your business. Plus you’ll sleep much better! Huge ROI for working out each day!

9.   Make Sure You Have A Comfortable Bed Setup

No matter how much you prepare yourself for a great night of sleep doing everything we mentioned above, if your sleep setup isn’t comfortable for you, you’re not going to sleep well. So we recommended making sure everything from your mattress to your sheets to your pillows are comfortable. Having a comfortable pillow, or a mattress that’s perfect can make all the difference in the world. You just sink right in and fall asleep fast as opposed to spending hours trying to get comfortable and fall asleep in a setup that’s just not nice.

Wrapping up

Being a mompreneur requires more focus and energy than a regular entrepreneur, as you have a family and kids to provide for and take care of. That’s why nurturing your ultimate power – your daily energy levels – is so important. And the number one way to ensure you have an abundance of energy each day is to get great sleep. Everything from setting up a night time routine, to turning your phone to “do not disturb,” to getting a comfortable sleep setup will help guarantee you have an abundance of energy to accomplish all your goals!

About The Author:

Jennifer Hardy, SleepingBetter.co

Jennifer is a stay at home mom with 2 kids, who is an active contributor to SleepingBetter.co. She has been researching sleep science for years and is all about creating the perfect sleep sanctuary for herself because she knows how powerful good sleep can be on your health and beauty. She loves writing everything from pillow reviews to covering the latest in sleep science.

The post 9 Sleep Hacks For The Busy Mompreneur appeared first on The Founding Moms.