HOW TO SLEEP WELL IF YOU… ARE A NEW PARENT

For many people, getting a good night’s sleep couldn’t be easier – they simply turn the light off, shut their eyes and drift off in a matter of seconds.

Lucky them!

Unfortunately, there are plenty of others who struggle to either get off to sleep or have a restless, disrupted night’s sleep. And if you have a new born baby getting to sleep can be even tougher.

Having a good quality memory foam mattress to sleep on is a great start but, if you have a baby crying throughout the night, then you will need all the help you can get!

Here are TEMPUR’s top tips to help new parents get a good night’s sleep…

Help your baby develop good sleeping habits

Of course, the best way to ensure you are well rested with a new born is to make sure they develop good sleeping patterns as early as possible.

While new born babies do sleep a lot (up to 18 hours a day for the first few weeks) they don’t sleep for prolonged periods of time and often wake up every couple of hours for a feed.

Once they are a few of weeks old, however, you can start to show them the difference between day and night and encourage your little bundle of noise to sleep during the darker hours.

In the day, you should:

• Change their clothes when they wake to show them a new day has started

• Interact with them as much as possible – including during feeding time

• Ensure the house is kept bright and lively by keeping curtains open and letting them hear normal household noises

• Wake them gently if they fall asleep during feeding

At night, you should:

• Put them into pyjamas to signal the start of ‘sleep time’

• Be quiet when feeding them and ensure all household noises are kept to a minimum

• Keep the house dark by closing curtains and turning off lights

While these things may not guarantee your baby sleeps through the night, they will certainly give you the best opportunity possible for getting some much-needed shut eye…

How to make the most of your sleep while looking after a new born

Once you’ve got your baby to nod off, it’s time to turn the attention to yourself and how you can get the best quality sleep possible.

You should:

• Prioritise your rest whenever you can – take regular naps when your baby is sleeping

• Try some deep breathing exercises to relax and prepare your body for sleep

• Avoid stimulants such as coffee and nicotine as much as possible (It can take up to 10 hours to completely remove caffeine from your body!)

• Ensure you have a the correct mattress for your body type

The correct mattress can prevent unnecessary movement, which disturbs sleep, preventing muscle relaxation and efficient blood flow.

Properly supporting your back and neck is a very important factor in achieving a good, refreshing sleep.

TEMPUR pillows and mattresses are designed to provide the right level of firmness and comfort you need for a peaceful sleep, so even if your sleep is disrupted by a new baby, those precious moments of shut eye will be as restful and rejuvenating as possible.

Good luck – and sleep well!