Insomnia

Insomnia can be awful for new moms (or anyone really).
I found it so frustrating when I was wide awake during one of the rare chances I could get to sleep, while baby was dreaming peacefully. I was missing my sliver of a chance to sleep and it was driving me crazy!

Insomnia is thinking, planning, daydreaming, worrying. It is a result of being in the mind. It can be fun, if your day is filled with the doldrums of cleaning and chores, to escape into a more creative head space. However just like partying all night there is a cost - next day fatigue and grumpiness. And if you are a new mom and you are missing precious sleep you may feel like you are going a bit insane - and you are correct, sanity and sleep go together hand in hand.

Short term fix:

I found a new technique to get out of my head and back into my heart, which is the perfect place to be to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Get up - get a piece or two of paper. Write down things you are thankful for until you fall asleep or are so sleepy you can't write anymore. The first time I tried this I filled 2 pages and promptly went to sleep. If you can't control where your mind goes, the physical act of writing will keep it trained on gratitude, which will turn your mind off and keep you in a loving heart space which you can drift off to sleep in. Let me know if it works for you like it works so well for me!

Long term fixes 

1. Learn to master the mind with meditation. Be able to control your thoughts from becoming worried or from going to a "planning" place. Practice is key here, it's not easy but it is simple.

2. Exercise 4 hours before bedtime, every day, for 10 minutes. After a while, move it up to 20 minutes. There is a sleepy window that occurs 4 hours after exertion - use it to your advantage.

3. Give up on others. Just worry about yourself and baby. They'll survive.