Combat Fatigue: Recovering from a Restless Night’s Sleep
Okay so we have all been there. Wake up. Feeling like we have just taken a 9 hour flight with little sleep - groggy, irritated and just uncomfortable.
You know the sleep was not a 10/10 and the mind-chatter about how your day is going to go because of the poor sleep is in full force.
Some thoughts that come up for me often are:
I just cannot do today - I should cancel my morning appointments.
I’m just going to lay here in bed - scratch the morning routine and rush out the door. You don’t need that time.
Last nights poor sleep was my fault. I should know how to do this.
Today’s going to be so hard - it’s okay we will just drink tons of tea.
These thoughts then lead into influencing daily actions are real. Did you know that our thoughts can influence our decision making if we let them? If we are not conscious of our thoughts and how they influence our actions, we can easily get sucked into a viscous cycle of sleep sabotaging behaviours, which perpetuates the poor sleep cycle. Sometimes leading to issues with difficulty falling asleep, night wakings and controlling and anxiety -related behaviours around sleep.
Sleep is something our body is naturally meant to do. It is our environment and our daily choices as humans that usually influence our sleep. There are medical considerations that definitely can interfere but that is a completely different post!
Have you ever wondered why your pet can sleep anywhere anytime? They never have difficulty falling asleep once all is settled and stay asleep all night. Their sleep is usually only disrupted by natural reasons (Milo sometimes has to poop at 2am if we feed him too late - again our fault haha).
As humans we self sabotage sleep - usually accidentally because we are just so tired and still need to get through the day.
All of our patterns of behaviour serve us in some way and I’m here to provide you with some examples of actions you can take to take care of yourself during the day with hopefully a by product of getting out of the cycle or sleep sabotage.
Number one
After a tough nights sleep the instinct is to want to catch up and sleep more. This will only hurt you later on because if you sleep till 10am, 12pm or even later you are impacting the sleep pressure that is needed to fall asleep.
Flexible option: if you had a really tough night allow an extra hour to ninety minutes. Keep the sleep in container and set wn alarm if you need to.
Best case scenario: get out of bed as you normally would and start that morning routine (if you do not have a morning routine yet we will get to it! you can also check out this blog I did speaking about the importance of the morning routine.
Number Two
Have breakfast! Yes you may feel like your stomach is churning and eating is the last thing you want to do because you are tired and groggy - I know the feeling.
Eating breakfast is a great way to wake yourself up and get going in the morning. You may choose to do this before or after some time and that is okay. I always support flexibility because we want to ensure we are not trying to control sleep but really just support our bodies and systems so it naturally will take over!
Some ways to make breakfast a reality is to meal prep and keep the response effort super low. As demands have crept in for me as a new mom I’m noticing breakfast getting pushed and meals are all over the place. We are now on the fast smoothie train with lots of goodies in it to ensure I get all the nutrients I need.
Starting your day with breakfast and ensure you are eating regularly throughout the day supports your digestive system in remaining regular - avoiding bowel movements and indigestion over night.
For us neurodivergent folks, recognizing we need to eat and organizing and preparing meals can be so difficult and we can easily forget when we are engaged in work or hyper focused activities. So some strategies to help here.
Meal prep when you can. Find downtime during your week to look up 1-2 recipes you like, make a grocery list, purchase groceries and prepare the food. I like to cut things up, or pre cook whenever I can.
Set a timer for each meal as a reminder - some people need that auditory cue .
Schedule lunch 🥗 into your calendar and ensure time is set aside for eating! I find it so easy to work through lunch and then I get a headache and am starving by the end of day.
Number Three
Hydration! Now what we drink matters. Staying hydrated will ensure your energy stays up during the day after a poor nights sleep.
I really noticed this once having my new born where I’d wake up exhausted but started to crush my 1L water bottle and brought my electrolyte drink with me on my morning walk. The dark tired cloud lifted immediately and I find myself more energized. No caffeine required.
Now I’m not saying you don’t need caffeine but try water first. Caffeine is a diuretic so will cause further dehydration leading to many unhelpful side effects like head aches, brain fog, tiredness etc. especially once it ware’s off.
Notice the urge to drink caffeine immediately upon waking and try hydration first then sit down with that cozy cup of coffee or tea ✨
Number Four
Last but not least / get outside. After a poor nights sleep the urge to stay under the covers and in a dark room feels like the best choice. Our body and mind is tired - it is so normal to feel this way.
Notice this urge and do the opposite. Getting into action in ways that support you in the morning after a rough night will set you up for a better day.
To make this part easy, have a walking uniform. Nothing fancy just something you can throw on. For me right now it’s my bike shorts and an ultra baggy T shirt. It may not be the fanciest of outfits but that’s the new mom postpartum era we are in and I’m here for it.
Next put your walking shoes on and get out. Even 10 minutes of movement in the morning can be enough to blow the sleep fog away. Getting into your body and mind and just moving helps to get the energy flowing.
One poor night’s sleep does not mean all is lost. It is how we respond to our urges and move into sleep supportive action that decides how our day is going to go. This advice is not just for adults but for our kids too. So keep finding a structure that works for you and allow flexibility and self compassion to come alongside as you find your own rhythm 🥁
Nicole
This article does not constitute medical advice. Consult your sleep specialist provider for direct support to help implement these strategies and rule out possible medical considerations as well as individualize supports to you and your family.