REST—> It’s part of the program!! LEESA!!!

Oh running.  How we all love (well, a weird kind of love where we don’t love it sometimes too;) you.  

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This might be just me but the actual training/running is the most doable part of the equation.  Running 6 days a week is just part of me.  It doesn’t really take any thought, I just do it and when I can’t do it… that is when I run into problems.  BUT the other parts of the program have not always been easy for me.  IE nutrition and taking adequate amounts of rest.  For some reason those parts of the equation haven’t always clicked for me.  Whether I was going hard out on the roads day after day without enough rest/easy days or not taking sleep as seriously as I should be, those habits surely didn’t help my running.  And to be honest, ever since Brooke was born sleep hasn’t been easy for me until just recently. 

Side note story/tangent—>  When Brooke was about 9 months old I was staying at my sister’s house and one morning she asked why I looked so tired.  I told her it was because Brooke woke up 4 times that night (she wasn’t hungry or anything, it was just out of habit) and the second I heard her cry I would go to her crib and rub her back until she fell back to sleep (did I ever tell you I have no idea what I am doing with parenting;).  My sister looked at me with one eyebrow raised pretty much up to her hairline and told me she was in charge of Brooke the next night.  Yeah, so she sleep trained Brooke in just one night and she never woke up in the middle of the night from then on unless she was sick or something.  After that is when my marriage started exploding and during that time and throughout my divorce sleep was just not happening because of all of the emotions/worrying.  After that I was living in an apartment where I woke up to every person in the building that ever took a step on the stairs and FINALLY in my new place I have been able to sleep.  It is life changing.  Literally, life changing to feel well-rested again.

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I love simple visuals like this one below.  It seems so easy but are we doing all that we can to keep our buckets full so that we can take on the training/stress in our lives to the best of our abilities?  Nutrition has been a work in progress for me over the last few years (ps I’m currently writing a post all about my thoughts on life after disordered eating and my views on nutrition now… so that is coming) but I’m stoked about my new sleeping habits because I think this will really help my running.  So besides moving to a place where I don’t hear my neighbors breathe (okay, I’m being a little dramatic) all night long I have done a few things to help me to sleep better at night.  

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Having a ceiling fan (I told you the other day how weird I am about that helping me to sleep better at night—> quiet noise and air blowing on my face helps me big time to sleep well), taking a short hot bath/shower right before bed helps me to calm down, staying away from sugar before bed (easier said than done…), turning off all of the electronics and reading instead and getting an amazingly comfortable mattress (my new one has 3 foam layers… including 2” of memory foam and 2 “ of a really sweet latex-like foam called Avena) is making all of the difference in helping me to sleep better.  Our bodies really can’t repair themselves after the hard workloads we put them through with our training unless we are giving them adequate rest.  Damaged tissue from that day’s workout is repaired and our bones and muscles are built while we are asleep… talk about motivation to stop scrolling at night and make sleep a huge priority!  

I decided with the move would come a new mattress because my last one was just not doing it for me anymore.  Leesa delivered (hallelujah to not having to go to an awkward mattress showroom ha) my mattress right to my doorstep (shipping is always free) and I couldn’t believe that my queen mattress fit in this small box.  The mattresses are compressed in the box and the 10″ mattress comes in all sizes!   It sure is convenient to just bring the box from the doorstep to your room and go from there.  

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The set up was crazy easy. 

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I mean Brooke did help a little bit.  

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 I just rolled it out and removed the plastic and let the mattress do the work.  

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Once the plastic was off, Leesa expanded and took shape.  It took about an hour for it to fully fluff out and then we tested it out.  We both gave it the stamp of approval and the only problem now is that I’m having an extra hard time getting out of bed in the morning;)  

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Her face.

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It is amazing how big of a difference it makes to have a comfortable bed that you love.  Here’s to some new shiny PR’s coming my way with all of this sleep I’m going to be getting this year:) 

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Something super cool about Leesa—>  for every 10 mattresses that they sell, they donate one to a shelter!  I love it when companies give back like this.  

*****The first 50 readers to use the code HUNGRY75 at checkout will get $75 off their order!!! Go here to get started.  PS they also ship to Canada now!!*****  They give you 100 nights to try your mattress, risk-free… love that because then you can make sure it is the mattress for you without any worries!  

Sponsored by Leesa! Thanks for supporting our sponsors, me and the Brookers while we share our random life with you:)

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What helps you to sleep better at night?

Ever had a hard time with sleep?  What was causing it?

Parents—>  at what age did your kiddos start sleeping through the night?

How do you keep your bucket full?

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84 comments

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I’m the worsts worst sleeper. I’ve always struggled with sleep anxiety, falling asleep, and staying asleep. I was the kid who’d call their parents at 2 a.m. from a sleepover crying saying I just wanted to be able to sleep and they’d have to pick me up and take me to my own bed. I love white noise too so I have a big box fan in my room which helps a lot. I try to keep my bucket full by giving myself plenty of time to fall asleep by getting in bed around 9 or 10 and I like to take at least one day off a week from running too!

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I also love that bucket picture! I’ll have to keep that in mind. Lately I’ve been really stressed because I’m buying a house, getting married, interviewing for a new job, and training for a marathon. Needless to say my bucket is a little empty lately ;)

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I wrote a post about rest days today too! I always think I’m just being lazy when I take a rest day, but I’m learning that I need to let my body rest and recover in order to perform my best.

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to sleep. I only seem to have trouble sleeping when I’m sick. Otherwise, I can usually fall asleep by about 9pm!

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Sleep has always been a thing for me – I’m so sensitive to any disturbances and any amount of stress seems to affect it. It’s really on and off! I’m probably (definitely) due for a new mattress too, good reminder :)

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I usually have a cup of hot water or chamomile tea before I go to sleep. I usually don’t have any issues falling asleep within a few minutes even if I have been watching TV or on my phone, but I do try to spend a few minutes reading from an actual book (not my iPad) so I don’t have blue light issues. A few times a year I usually struggle with falling asleep/staying asleep, but it always passes in a week or two. If I’m really struggling, I’ll use melatonin to help, but I don’t like using it if I don’t need to.

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I definitely need to get more rest. I’m not always so great about that. But usually when my head hits the pillow, I’m pretty much out! I just need to be more diligent about ensuring I go to bed earlier since I wake up so early. :/

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I needed to read this today. I haven’t been sleeping the best and actually I need more rest than normal from the shamrock half marathon. My goal for the next few weeks is to get more sleep.

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I don’t think I’ve slept in 5 years….I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding the whole time. I guess I’ll sleep when I’m dead ;)
I’ve had 1 awesome sleeper kid and the rest have been horrible with sleep. At least 1 kid STILL wakes up every night.

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A cool room and white noise helps me sleep. I’m one of those people who needs a lot of sleep, and thankfully I don’t struggle to sleep anymore.

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I fall asleep fine and don’t really wake up much during the night but I always wake up sore and feeling sick. I hate it because I can’t ever rise and shine happy. Usually once I get going I feel better. I keep thinking it must be food allergy or not drinking enough water or stress.

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Ohhhh my goodness! That mattress looks so comfy! We have a ridiculous staircase in our house which makes it so tough to get anything of an awkward size or shape up to the second floor. That box would maWhat helps you to sleep better at night?

I definitely struggled with sleep while I was pregnant, but now the only thing that keeps me up is Netflix, and that’s my own fault ;)

Our now-8 year old has always been a fabulous sleeper, and our 3 year old slept through the night as soon as we started sleep training.

Running + sleep + reading are all ways I keep my bucket full. They all make a big difference, and people who know me well can always tell if I’ve skimped on any of them!

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Sounds like yor sister was your support system while you were going through divorce!

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I struggle with the rest part as well! I had plans to lift this morning, but woke up sore everywhere. I realized that I haven’t taken a day off in over a week and knew today needed to be rest day.

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I am pretty good about getting to sleep, and staying asleep. My problem is that I don’t go to bed early enough for what time I have to wake up. It’s a work in progress.

Yoga really helps me take rest days from running. It makes me feel like I’m still doing something, plus I’m terrible about stretching otherwise :)

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We just got our Lessa yesterday!! Waiting on the new bed frame to arrive (we upgraded to a King) and then we will hopefully be getting much better rest!! Feeling really positive after you having a good experience!

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YES – enough sleep makes such a massive difference!

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My 16 month old does not sleep through the night. And my one regret so far is the couple of nights we tried to “sleep train” her. I’m tired but that feeling of protecting her emotional development the way I see fit is #1 to me. Maybe some babies respond better to sleep training than others, but it wasn’t right for our family. Here’s hoping I can say that my kid started sleeping through the night at 17 months ;)

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My son just turned 17 months on Sunday and doesn’t sleep through the night either. You are not alone! :) I feel the same as you about sleep training, so we’ve just done what works and helps all of us get as much sleep as possible. To each his own!

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We have been researching Lessa, glad to hear you love it. I am hoping a new mattress I’ll help me sleep better. I am always envious of people who sleep well! Enjoy your mattress! I love that they donate a mattress for every 10 sold, I think that just sealed the deal for me.

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After graduating college and living on my own I realized how important sleep is and how my body can’t function on 5-6 hours of sleep like it was used to for 4 years. I have to have white noise or a fan and I’m in a good habit of reading before bed too!

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I have a hard time sleeping in general. I go to sleep just fine, but I tend to get tossy and turny around 2am or so most nights, so I don’t sleep well after that. It’s a bummer. :( I definitely need sleep or else I just get really cranky and on edge. No fun!

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My son didn’t sleep through night in his crib till he was a year old and even then I only considered through the night as waking once around 3 am lol. I felt like anything at 3 am or later was through night. Ha. It wasn’t until he was around 4 1/2 that he stopped looking for me at some point at night!

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I didn’t used to think a mattress made that much of a difference in my sleep quality but when I moved into my apartment a year and a half ago and upgraded to a nice mattress, I felt like I was sleeping in a hotel bed every night. It’s so important to feeling your best and I definitely notice a difference when I eat too much sugar before bed.

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Sleep with kids is hard. When my oldest was 4 months old, we moved in with my parents. My sister was living there too and she was having triplets basically any time. We had 4 babies under the age of 6 months there and it was insane. No one ever slept. Even after my sister moved into thier new house, my baby never slept and because I was worried about her waking everyone else up I never let her try to sleep on her own. Even when we moved to our own place, she woke up every night at least once until she was 2 1/2.

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Would you mind sharing how your sister sleep trained Brooke? My son is 9 months old and waking up 3 times a night I think also for comfort. Thanks!!

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Hey Emily!! Thank you so much for commenting! It is ROUGH when they are getting up that much in the middle of the night… I bet you are exhausted. My sister just let her cry until she fell back asleep which really didn’t take very long (she said 5-10 minutes at the max). For Brooke, it was completely out of habit that she was waking up. She was not hungry. Personally, 9 months is about as young as I would have done this. I believe that little ones are able to gain some confidence in themselves by doing things on their own, like falling to sleep on their own when they are old enough and not hungry. Each situation is super different and so is each baby:) I was BEYOND lucky that Brooke caught on very quickly to this because I don’t think I could have stopped myself from getting her if she cried for longer/couldn’t fall back asleep.

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Ps I feel like it happens when they are ready. Like potty training. I tried it a few times with Brooke but it finally just clicked when she was ready! That’s why it probably happens at all sorts of different ages and now I’m just rambling ha! I feel like it would be so much easier to explain this over the phone but I’m not going to ask for your phone number because that seems creepy!

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Thanks so much for answering – I was just about to ask this question in my comment. Hoping I can do the same with my 13 month old. And I totally get and agree with what you are saying about readiness.

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Thank you so much for the thoughtful response! That does make a lot of sense, there is so much information and opinion out there that it makes it hard to know what the right thing to do for your child is. Like you said, they’re all different, and hearing them cry is the worst! I’m glad it went smoothly for you and Brooke, she’s lucky to have you!

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oh i love latex mattresses they last so much longer and are so much better for you! im actually looking for a new mattress in the coming months because mine is actually a little too soft. im usually pretty good about falling asleep but little noises wake me up, i think its a woman thing but i hear the dogs whine, Joe snore, things like that…makes it hard to get a consistent good night sleep.

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Thank you so much for the Leesa recommendation! I just took a look at the website and I am really interested in getting one for myself now! You’re the best- hope you have a wonderful day :)

Also; I am SUPER excited to start getting into some higher mileage as the weather warms up for us here on the east coast. My working goal for April is to start extending my long runs for the week the 12 miles. You are such an inspiration to me- thanks for all of your great advice and positive energy!!!

hugs,
Amanda

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We are in the process of attempting to sleep train our daughter. She was doing so good around 2 months and then she got a cold and so she would wake up every hour because she couldn’t breathe. We would suck the snot out but she would be fully awake after that and have to be put back to sleep. Now I think she just wakes up out of habit from doing it for a few weeks. It doesn’t help that we just got an amazing new memory foam mattress that is so comfy it makes it even harder to get up when she cries.

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I would also love to know what your sister did for sleep training!!!!

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HEY ELIZABETH!!! I just replied up a few comments about it. I hope it helps… we don’t have a magic solution but somehow it worked for Brookie!

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I also love my ceiling fan to help me sleep at night! Sometimes I’ll also use earplugs even if it’s not noisy – it helps me go into my own little world to sleep! I know I need to get better about staying away from my phone at bedtime!

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I’ve literally slept on a couch for 2 years now. We have 3 kids. Oldest is 10 and doing great the other 2 are 2 and 9 months. The second one was very hard to get, the last one was very much a surprise.

Because I am early riser for work and babies have consumed my wife for last 2 years it’s been a big struggle. I’ve been trying to sleep train the youngest, but he’s resistant and my lovely wife doesn’t have the willpower I do to watch/listen to him cry. It’s no fun. He’s finally getting there but then we still have to figure our next moves. I gave up my office to him to get him out of the Master bedroom but eventually he moves in with sister or sister moves in with older, school age sister. Neither option is ideal.

These are definitely first world problems, but they are turning us grey! (We’re both older parents). BTW my wife still enjoys our lovely Tempurpedic…I look forward to win I can do so again myself.

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Oh Clark. People make fun of “first world problems” but those problems are the ones that send us to the looney bin. How are we supposed to have lives, families, marriages if we are going stir crazy. I admire your patience through the insanity of your life. Sleep training is hard. Raising those little ones is hard. Hang in there. Don’t go insane.

Even if nothing changes for a little while, remember that children definitely grow up and the worst of the hard passes. You’ll get off the couch and sleep in your own bed again. The crying will stop and the children will eventually be potty trained and in the midst of it all you’ll remember what it was like and breathe a deep sigh of relief that you lived through THAT. And you’ll lean over and kiss your beautiful wife and tell her how grateful you are for this family. And be So grateful the hard part is done.

And then you’ll realize teenagers are coming in the years ahead. I’m sorry. :)

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One more thing…maybe a late night out for your wife? Or a retreat weekend or something? or even just a “put the headphones on and I’m in charge of sleep training for the night” so she can’t hear what’s happening and you handle the little one. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But it might be worth a try for one night. In my experience (three kids…and they all turned out incredibly perfect if I do say so myself…and one even more perfect grandchild that I totally helped with) you usually figure out pretty quick if the sleep training is going to work or not. I had a daughter it didn’t work on…and two boys it did. And a grandson it didn’t…ha. He belongs to the daughter…what does that tell you. ;)

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Thanks for your comments. Little one actually slept through the night last night. Whoa.

We have tried the, Daddy take over thing. Ms. HRGs sis was able to train lil Brooke in one night. I haven’t been that successful. Most say 3 to 7 nights is what it takes. Short of me taking vacation from work I can’t do that on my own so the Mrs. has to join in.

Our first kid struggled mightily with this issue, until I can hone from a long stint away from home. She was nearly 3! When she got kicked into her own bed for good. 2nd child didn’t have the luxury of enjoying herself, because her lil brother came quickly after.

We’ll get there. But it’s no fun right now.

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Hey! Small favors! Congrats on one good night, right? Baby steps. Literally. And yeah, I’m with you. In real life, it takes more than one night. My kids did. It didn’t take forever but it did take more than one night. But I figured if you can reassure her that you made it through it might give her the emotional strength to hang in there for the next night and not cave. It’s hard to not cave. They’re so little and helpless and it’s our nature to cave.

Good luck! And enjoy feeling a little refreshed today :)

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Sleep is something that has always been SO important to me. When I had a baby this past September, I thought that it would be the end of my sleeping days. Everyone told me to kiss sleep goodbye. Although there were a couple months of waking up every few hours, my son starting sleeping through the night (7am-6am) at about 4 ½ months. Yes, there are some nights when he’ll wake up, but for the most part he has been a great sleeper. I couldn’t imagine training for an Ironman without his cooperation. ☺

I sleep best when my stress levels are low, I’m regularly running and working out, and I stay in my routine as far as when I go to bed and wake up. We have a ceiling fan too and I couldn’t imagine life without it.

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What Emily said :) I would also like to know what your sister did to sleep train.

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HEY SARA!!! I replied a few comments up above (just now… sorry that took me some time). I hope it helps! She didn’t do anything special… just let her cry for a few minutes until she fell back asleep. Thanks and I hope it helps a little bit!

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I’m good about the nutrition but I can’t run 6 days a week. It’s just too much for me, at least right now. I do workout 6 days a week and take a rest day. (I’ll also take an active recovery day if I’m feeling depleted).

I sleep with a fan as well. The noise and the air moving around helps me sleep. I also keep the house cool at night, I can’t sleep if I am too warm.

Stress keeps me up at night. Everything seems so urgent at night when you’re just lying there.

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I used to have such a hard time sleeping especially during grad school. I used to rely on 3-4 hours of sleep and was always so cranky. It is amazing what good sleep can do. If you eat right and exercise but don’t sleep, you don’t get the benefits of the good nutrition and exercise. I sleep well these days with around 7 hours each night. I feel so much better when I have had enough sleep.

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Please share what your sister did to help Brooke sleep thru the night. My little girl is going to be 10 months old and we are going to start sleep training in a few weeks and any tips would help out BIG time!!!!! Thanks!

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Hey Crystal! THANK YOU for your comment and 10 months is such a fun age. I replied a little bit longer a few comments up but my sis just let her cry for a few minutes until she fell back asleep. I lucked out that Brooke fell back to sleep quickly. She was purely doing it out of habit and I think once she realized I wasn’t coming back in she went right back to sleep and it stuck. GOOD LUCK and I hope your little one lets you sleep thru the night asap!

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Thank you so much for replying! We feel like we are getting ready to try sleep training now that she is 10 months :) So funny that you wrote in this post about your sister helping you with getting her to sleep thru the night , I remember a few years back you had wrote about your sister helping you one night and it worked, I was in bed last night thinking that I was going to go through all the comments to see if you had said what she did that worked. Saved me a LOT of time, ha!

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I like to snuggle with pillows and blankets and my husband. In the summer I tend to sleep worse because it is too hot for layers and layers of excess bedding. I have three kids. The oldest NEVER SLEPT, and I know parents say that all the time but my pediatrician who has been working for over 30 years said he never saw anything like it. Number one was alert from the second he was born, wouldn’t nap, wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t snooze. Lets just say for the first year of his life his dad and I were walking zombies. Number two was an ANGEL and slept through the night from a month old! Number three took a longer time, because she wouldn’t take bottles at all so breastfeeding would get me up a couple of times a night until she was a year old? Or around there.

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I know the feeling with your first one who never “wanted” to sleep. I only have one but if it was for him, he would never sleep. He is 6 now and he won’t fall asleep before 10 pm and he can’t fall asleep by himself. I have no idea where that comes from, he’s pretty laid back the rest of the time. I don’t know how old number 1 is but did you find a way to make it better?

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Number one is now 5! And the BEST thing we did for him when he was younger was remove ALL EXTERNAL STIMULI from his room. No toys/books etc. We ONLY went in his room to sleep. That way, when we went in that room, he knew what was expected of him. Previously, I’d been living in his room set up with all sorts of activities and my iPad and laptop. I’d just been trying to be in there in case he fell asleep so I could put him down. We played in there. I breastfed him in there. Finally, our pediatrician suggested to use his bedroom for nothing but sleep. It was a challenge, but he got it. I don’t know how that would work with older kids, and we don’t do that now as he shares a bedroom with his sister. That being said, he is still the kid that sleeps the least. I believe it is just his personality. Apparently he needs less sleep than the others. Maybe your son is a similar type. The GREAT thing, though, is we’ve never had trouble with nighttime accidents. From the time he potty trained he was able to get up and use the restroom at night all on his own. So that is something!

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That’s awesome that your sister got Brooke’s sleep sorted out so quickly!

Also I am AMAZED at the size of the box that mattress came in, haha!

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I haven’t slept ever since my son was born almost 3 months ago! It is incredibly hard for me to function each day but all my friends that have kids keep telling me to hang in there. I am dreaming of the day when he sleeps through the night! lol

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My son slept through the night for the first time last week (6 months old.) He did it for a few days and is now back to waking 1-2x a night. Fun while it lasted.

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When it comes to staying healthy (mentally and physically), for me, sleep is always number one. I will easily miss a workout in order to get my 7-9 hours of sleep (8 is really the magic number for me)…if I’m tired, everything suffers. And so it MAKES me create a lifestyle in which I can get enough sleep so that I’m not always missing out on training runs.

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Wow! I cannot believe that mattress fit into that small box. Crazy!

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Turning off the TV and putting my phone down definitely helps me get more rest at night. Also reading a book tends to help – and turning the heat up a tad in my room instead of the rest of my apartment tends to help me sleep better for sure.

Stress/Anxiety causes me to have a hard time sleeping – as I am sure it affects everyone. I have found that running helps me rid of my anxiety and stress and therefore I sleep better!

I keep my bucket full by knowing what is important to keep me happy & healthy both mentally and physically. I make it a priority to take care of myself and do the right thing. Without doing that – I can definitely tell when my bucket is not as full

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Does your sister have any secrets to training a stubborn 3.5 year old boy to poop on the potty? He knows when he has to go but refuses to tell us. I can’t figure out what reaction I should have to give him the power trip he wants.

No sleep for me…sick again and I can’t breathe. I’m taking the rest of the week off. I guess that’s my rest!

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So common – 2 of my 3 kids did this. They refused to go and it was awful and painful. I just said nothing, changed them but if they chose to to their business on the potty, they got rewarded with M&M’s or a treat. It took time but worked.

I would just suggest to not make a big deal out of it..he will do it!

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Oh wow, I would have never imagined that a mattress would fit in that box! Ah rest days. Such a love/hate relationship with them!
I am a solid sleeper, but we now have a kitten that insists on waking me up once a night, at some random time, to show her where her food is. What a stinker. It’s not like she doesn’t know where it is, she just likes the company!!

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I love that bucket image – so, so soooo true!! I sleep with a fan as well. There’s just something so relaxing about it! I’ve also started doing a little yoga and stretching before bed and it helps me sleep SO much better!!

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I am such a fan of this mattress and going to order Leesa when I get a new one (in the next year) Sleep/ rest/ relaxation is so very important. My biggest tip is I received a hot pack from “Sage” last year. Every night, I warm it in the microwave and go to bed with it on my sore or achy part. My hips have been sore after my long runs so that’s where it goes. I sleep soo much better!

I take a rest day on Sundays – well not from running but from cooking, cleaning and anything that requires work. I spend time with my kids and my husband and just relax. We get take out or pick up simple Costco food. That refreshes me totally!

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Janae, you’ve had some really amazingly beautiful pictures on your blog lately. I love the one of you running in this post- so vivid with great contrast! Does one of your friends take them?

I sleep pretty well, just have a bad habit of staying up too late considering how early I get up to run and get to work.

We’ve had off and on sleep issues with both kiddos over the years. Right now the almost-5-year-old is waking up 2-3 times a night with “bad dreams.” Ugh. Don’t forget that good habits can be undone really quickly, so always stick to your routine (like, if she wakes in the night and comes to get in your bed a few nights in a row and you cave in because it’s sweet, expect it to become a new habit!). I speak from experience, unfortunately. :)

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My little man still gets up sometimes and he’s three….. some day!

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I am all about having a fun on too! I can’t sleep without one :)

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I meant fan ha sorry!

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The first 3 months of 2015 were filled with insomnia – thank you, perimenopause :( I was exhausted every day and my running was horrible. Knock on wood, that seems to have gone away for the most part.

I am hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) so when my nutrition is off, my bucket empties quickly! Quality food and rest are key.

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Ever since my husband and I got our Tempurpedic I have experienced the best sleep of my life. That bed was worth the money we paid for it! I also like to sleep with the ceiling fan on high or a box fan in my face. I like the room to be cold so I can cuddle under the covers. I also like the T.V. on but we make sure to set the sleep timer. The only time I do not sleep well is if my husband is away on business. I just have a hard time sleeping without him there.

My goal this week is to get a lot of rest and do some easy/moderate yoga. I never do yoga in between my runs so this is a big goal for me. I ran my first half marathon on Sunday and I am S.O.R.E. Runner’s knee kicked in about mile eight and I had to walk a bit, but I finished in 2:41. I am pretty proud of myself.

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I’m all about that sleep! I’m pretty good about prioritizing sleep, but I don’t have a child to worry about so that probably helps haha! Still, a lot of my friends will stay up late doing homework and projects or Netflix or whatever, so I guess what works best for me is sticking to a good routine of when I go to bed and wake up so my body doesn’t get too confused. Until daylight’s savings. Then everything goes bonkers.

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I keep hearing ads for these beds on the radio, great to see them in real life!

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How the heck did your sister sleep train Brooke?! I would love to hear her ways!

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One of our children has night terrors. They began shortly after he turned two, and five years later, continue to this day. They were very, very severe for a few years, and now they’re finally tapering off, to the point that he only cries out one night in three or so. Compared to every single night with screaming and hysterics for up to a couple hours, these days feel like bliss! Because we were sleep-deprived for so long, I’m now incredibly protective of our sleep. No electronics used in the bedroom, no television for half an hour before we go to bed, get ready for bed at a decent hour no matter how much I relish that time after the kids go to bed. It’s amazing to me what a difference good sleep can make; those were some dark days.

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I’m a good sleeper but I went through a period of stress and anxiety that kept me awake and it was eye-opening (haha pun). I’ll never take my sleep forgranted again. I aim for 8 hours. More than that and I feel lethargic. But I do love short midday catnaps if I can get them. The elites do it so it can’t be bad to have a 20 min nap if you feel you need it.
On another note, I envy your being able to run six days a week. Once you get older (40+) your body can’t recover as well or as fast (thanks diminishing estrogen levels!) and as a result I’m lucky if I can run 4-5x a week. I had a stress fracture two years ago and my running hasn’t been the same since. I’m still not at my pre-injury mileage of 50k a week. :( I also read an article that the best thing women, and especially older women, can do for their bones is to lift weights. I’ve only used weights up to 20lbs but I’m going to start learning to lift barbells soon.

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Keeping my bucket full is a serious goal of mine at the same time as training for my first marathon. I think as women it can be hard to balance everything from busy work demands, home duties, being a good sister/friend/daughter, managing money, using our time wisely AND being a runner. No wonder we get exhausted.

I take care of myself with trying to be flexible on my routine. Not feeling trapped in patterns but understanding our needs change day-t0-day as our bodies adapt to all the stress we put them through. This means not feeling guilty if I need more sleep, more food or more rest!

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that graphic is perfect! I often struggle with some of the same issues you do, so it’s good to know I’m not the only one! my key to sleeping well is keeping it consistent. I aim to go to bed and wake-up at the same times every night weekends included. I even try to stick to the same schedule when I’m traveling for work (which is much easier said than done). I’m a firm believer in routine, routine, routine.

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I ve been so tired the past few weeks that I fell asleep and don’t know what hit me…. It’s as awesome as it sounds tho cause 5 hours aint gonna cut it for this gal! But work has been so crazy…. I am in for some serious catching up on sleep this weekend!

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I love that bucket image! I’m going to have to save it. I’m the kind of person who needs a lot of sleep and I’m usually pretty good about getting enough. My problem is not taking enough rest days or just down time. I always want to do one more thing and take on too much, which leaves me running around completely stressed out.

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Since I started med school which was followed by internship and residency and becoming a mom, I am so chronically exhausted that I fall asleep nearly immediately and sleep through the night unless my little was me up :). But i have noticed that since I started getting up to workout early in the mornings (between 4 and 5 am) I fall asleep like clockwork at 10 pm and sleep like the dead.

Stress will keep me up. When I was going through my divorce and my mind was racing I would journal before bed and that helped calm my mind.

My son didn’t start consistently sleeping through the night until he was 12 months old. And now he’s four and he’ll come into my room once or twice at night most nights saying he had a nightmare (he totally didn’t) or that he wants to snuggle and I am a sucker and lie down with him in his bed until he falls back asleep. But then of course I am wrecked the next day because of the disruption. We are still working on this :)

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Ever since we did IVF in January I haven’t been sleeping good. When I was on all those icky fertility meds it really messed up my whole balance I had. So I’m still trying to get back into sleeping. I do take melatonin which helps sleep, and it has helped me and I don’t feel groggy.

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Running helps me sleep so much! I sleep the best when I’m physically tired.

Eating a bedtime snack, like greek yogurt helps me as well.

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I am a light sleeper. My memory foam mattress topper is the best! And in my current apartment I had to get a white noise machine to help drown out the sounds in the apartment and outside. I love it!

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Oh my gosh! I am so happy to hear about this LEESA mattress! I hate having to shop for a mattress and then arrange pick up or delivery. For a single girl like me, it’s easy when someone else does all the work and it looks so comfy. I may be in the market for a new mattress soon as I am house hunting, so I am so grateful for this post. THANKS!!

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You do sponsored posts well!!

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Thanks Nikki! I really appreciate that!

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