Sleeping Soundly

Sleep has always been difficult for me. I go through waves of insomnia-like sleep problems from time to time. When that's not happening, I still often have difficulty falling asleep, and I don't necessarily wake feeling rested. My husband snores and I have three kids under 7. I'm a jaw clencher and I grind my teeth. Sleep is not easy around here.

But it IS getting better. A LOT better. 

The older kids (4 & 6) sleep through the night unless something strange is up (sickness or nightmares). The youngest one is 16 months old and has been sleeping well since we did sleep training with him in December when he was 11 months old. I know, I know - I always said I would never sleep train my kids. I couldn't bear to hear them cry, I wanted to be an attached and available parent ... but I also couldn't handle a third round of not sleeping til my kid turned two. So, in December I clicked on a sponsored Facebook ad for Dana Obleman's Sleep Sense program, paid up, and away we went on our sleep training journey. She said something that really hit home for me. Something like "you know how sleep deprived and exhausted you feel when you're up multiple times a night? Your baby feels that way too. Wouldn't you both feel better if you taught your baby how to sleep at night?" I could feel myself nodding while I watched the video. That's how I knew it was worth a shot. That little bear has been sleeping like a champ ever since - even when he's teething or has a cold. And he is the happiest little gaffer! So glad I did that. 

So, check the kids off the sleeping "to do" list. What has helped with the rest? Oils. Essential oils. I kid you not. 

Lavender has been a huge help with relaxing my mind and body to prepare for sleep. I diffuse 3 drops of lavender every night at bedtime. It calms me and sends a signal to my monkey brain that it is time for sleep. A little frankincense in there helped with further calming and it also helped me feel more rested in the morning. More recently, I had been using the frankincense elsewhere in the house, so I tried a couple drops of vetiver with the lavender. That has also been a great combination. I find it calms me just as much as the frankincense, but as an added bonus, my husband doesn't snore when vetiver is in the diffuser!!!

My clenching and tooth grinding calmed down a lot when I started diffusing the lavender (with the frank or the vetiver), but  now I also put some Serenity on my jawline at bedtime to really help relax my jaw. It works beautifully and smells so nice! 

My daughter also loves to put Peace on the back of her neck and Serenity on her wrists. She smells amazing and sleeps soundly. I like to use the Peace the same way when I can pry it from her little hands!

There are many other oils that are also great for sleep. Right now I'm enjoying my lavender + vetiver diffuser blend, but I'll post about my other trials as I go. 

If you're struggling with sleep or any of the other issues I named and want some input on what you could try, send me a message or go to my website and send me a message that way! http://mydoterra.com/thrivesimply

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