![]() ![]() High-sugar, high-fat options may provide a quick boost, but the crash that follows can leave you feeling even more tired. Snack on energy-giving foods such as a handful of nuts, a banana, or wholemeal toast and peanut butter. Eating regular small meals and healthy snacks every three to four hours through the day can help keep your energy up better than a couple of big meals (NHS 2018b). You don’t have to sleep for it to be beneficial, but put your feet up, close your eyes and take some deep breaths to recharge your batteries (NHS 2018c). It’s tempting to rush around and catch up on chores when your baby is asleep, but sometimes resting is more important. If your baby is older, you could ask a trusted friend or relative to have her for the night. If you don’t have a partner or you’re both having a particularly bad time, consider asking a friend or relative to come over and stay for a few days so you can get some more sleep (NHS 2018c). If you have a partner, take turns to have a lie-in.Ask for help from friends or family, and accept help when they offer. Sometimes just functioning is enough of an achievement. But if you don't achieve that one thing, don't be hard on yourself. Even if it's just one thing, such as vacuuming, it will give you something to focus on and help you to prioritise. Write a list of things that need doing every day, but be realistic. Prioritise tasks so you get the most important ones done first.Just a 15-minute walk round the park can give you an energy boost (NHS 2018b), and spending time in nature can help to improve your mood (Mind 2018). Try to get outside for a walk with your baby every day.Even though exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing, it will get your blood flowing and energise your body, which will make you feel less tired (NHS 2018c).How can I feel less tired in the early days and weeks with my baby? being less or more hungry than usual (Beattie et al 2014).feeling grumpy, stressed or more emotional.It’s really common to start feeling down: everything seems harder when you’re short of sleep (NHS 2018a).Īpart from extreme tiredness, signs of sleep deprivation include: Or you may struggle on, even though you know that whatever you're doing won’t be to your usual standard. You may find yourself giving up on tasks before they're complete. If you’re sleep deprived, you’ll have slower response times and find it more difficult to concentrate and make decisions. ![]() ![]() In the early weeks it’s normal for your baby to wake up every two to three hours (BASIS nd), so don’t worry - you’re not alone in this. But when you have a baby, broken sleep is unfortunately just normal life for most. What are the effects of sleep deprivation?It only takes a few nights of broken sleep to feel sleep deprived. So however tough it seems at times, it doesn’t last forever and there are things you can do to help. The good news though, is that it does get better, with most parents reporting that sleep improved after this (Richter et al 2019). ![]() It reached its worst point during the first three months ( fourth trimester). No surprise then that one study found new parents’ sleep quality sharply declined after the birth. Though a good night’s sleep is the obvious remedy, this can seem impossible when you've got a baby to look after. You may be so tired that you can barely remember your own name, let alone where you’ve put your car keys.
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