Dear Lucy,
I have insomnia myself so I've wrestled with this for years. As a kid I used to lay awake in bed and listen to my clock radio for hours before falling asleep. One thing that worked really well was when my brother and I were both sleeping in our mother's bed (she used to get annoyed at how much we moved around) and she said one night, "The first one to fall asleep gets a Milky Way bar." Which was our favorite. We were both asleep in minutes, but no one could prove which of us won the Milky Way.
I don't recommend this as a strategy in general. :)
While problems falling asleep can come from stress and anxiety, I'm not going to try to address those here. Also, if you have a really young toddler, this article by Lizzie Goodman is for you. I'm only going to share what has helped me and my daughter over the years and is purely physical…
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Maxwell Ryan is a father and was an elementary school teacher in NYC before founding Apartment Therapy. He'd love to answer your question: askmaxwell@cubbyathome.com |