Being a mum of four young boys means that a good nights sleep is well and truly a thing of the past. So, over the past eight years I have had to develop a good coping strategy or I think I would have literally gone insane.
As you will probably agree, the thing that we most want to do after a sleepless night is curl up in our favourite tracksuit bottoms and pig out on biscuits. Although initially satisfying, it won't help you long term in your hard cycle of sleep deprivation.
So here's how I do it............
1.Shower and wash hair! As simple as it may sound, a quick shower and vigorous wash of the hair can work wonders for your tired head. The stimulation of massaging the shampoo into your head awakens your senses and you feel so much fresher afterwards. I know that finding time for a shower, especially as a new mum, can seem impossible but all you have to do is take your baby into the bathroom with you in their moses basket or little bouncy chair and five minutes later you are done and one step closer to facing the world.
2.Juice! Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know how much of a believer I am in making my own fresh juices. The pure goodness that I get from putting carrots, apple, orange and pineapple through my juicer and drinking the produce is immense. The pineapple juice makes it like sunshine in a glass. I literally feel my eyes perking up as the goodness hits my body.
3.Drink lots of water! Caffeine seems to be the 'pick me up' of choice for most tired heads but I for one am a strong advocate for the pureness of water. Keeping your body and mind rehydrated will keep you alert and help avoid the ageing side effects of dry skin.
4.Resist stodgy food, and focus on nutritious food. All we want to do when we are feeling tired is eat cake and biscuits. It is a bit like our distant memories of going out until 3am (yes, I do vaguely remember nights out!),waking up with a hangover and knowing that you just have to have a cooked breakfast at the local cafe that you wouldn't step foot in on a normal day. Resist temptation though! The best thing for you to get you through the day is lots of nutritious food such as fruit and vegetables.
5.Keep busy! Do you ever notice that it is often when you sit down and relax for a minute that you feel most exhausted? If you have had a terrible nights sleep don't cancel the friend you were supposed to pop round to see for a cuppa, don't not bother going to the baby massage class you have been looking forward to all week. As hard as it may seem, push yourself out that door as you will find that once you are up and out, things won't seem as bad.
6.Touche éclat! Now, this is my number one secret weapon for looking semi normal rather than a walking zombie! A little bit of touché éclat underneath each eye will disguise those big black circles that your sleepless night has left you with! Now I am not one to wear an awful lot of makeup - a bit of mascara and face powder and I'm done but this is something that I cannot live without and I absolutely want to share my secret with all you yummy mummy's out there!
So there you have it, my six top tips. You may too be a mum trying to cope with sleepless nights. You may be someone who just struggles to sleep per se. Whatever your reasons for sleep deprivation, use these six tips to get through the day and you can't go wrong.
This post was originally written here by Kerry Gibb for her blog www.myboysandme.co.uk