The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift? Sleep!

Forget the flowers & perfume – what your mother really wants needs can’t be wrapped

The one gift that can truly make a difference in your Mom’s life may not be something you can buy in a store – but it’s a gift that keeps giving. This Mother’s Day, skip the trinkets and give your mother the gift of rejuvenating slumber.

When your mother tells you, “I’m so tired,” she’s not exaggerating – the numbers back her up. According to a recent CBS news survey, moms feel tired for an average of 14 days per month, compared to 11 days for women without children. Ouch. And the impact of having children in the home doesn’t stop there. Each child increases the likelihood of insufficient sleep by a whopping 50%.

Does your Mom’s bed support all the things she does in it?

The kitchen may be the heartbeat of a happy, healthy home but our bedrooms are its soul. Your Mom’s bed is (or should be) the most comfortable place in the home and the envoy of lots of good things, including sound sleep. It’s the place where she greets her day, where she cuddles and canoodles with her partner, children and pets.

For some Moms, the bedroom also serves as an ad hoc home office, family gathering place and even a bench to sort socks. We recently reached out to our Facebook Mom friends to find out how they use their beds.

How would your Mom answer these questions?

What do you do in your bed and bedroom?

“I have read a book, written a poem, surfed to faraway lands, meditated through the universe, cuddled loved ones, laughed, cried, loved, enjoyed breakfast for two with all the trimmings and good old fashioned newspapers,” wrote Samantha.

When it’s time to reorganize and purge, the guts of the closet go on the bed. Some people let their kids make pillow nests while for others, it’s the comfiest time-out spot.

Of course, there’s late night social media scrolling and early morning coffee-time. Lots of Moms use at as the place to chat with their partners at the start or the end of the day. “We argue, cry, hug, laugh, wonder, worry, conspire and reflect all within the comforts of our bed,” wrote Jennifer.

Is your bed a haven and refuge and the perfect place for a great night’s sleep?

Clearly, our beds serve many purposes but the most important is still a good night’s sleep. While every Mom’s sleep needs are different, there’s no denying they all need it. Think of sleep as the clean-up crew for the brain. Moms are busy and their days are often filled with an overload of physical and mental exertion. Sleep clears the debris away and puts everything neatly back onto the shelves. Without enough sleep, the mess from the day accumulates – over and over and over.

There’s no denying sleep can be challenging for Moms – especially during stressful times. Mental health can suffer with poor sleep, and sleep can suffer due to poor mental health. It’s a vicious circle that demands we get back to the basics of getting a good night’s sleep.

How does your Mom stack up with her bedtime and sleep habits?

• Maintain a regular bedtime. Encourage Mom to make time for a warm bath or shower, a soothing cup of caffeine-free tea or simply reading a book in a quiet place before bedtime. An hour before she plans to sleep is the wind-down time so her body and mind are both ready for sleep at the same time.
• Impose a curfew on electronics. She’s likely tempted to scroll social media, news feeds or emails before bed but those activities can ramp up anxiety and make a restful night’s sleep impossible. Declare all bedrooms electronic-free zones.
• Create a quiet, cool, dark sleep environment. If your Mom doesn’t have blackout window shades, consider gifting her with an eye mask. A white noise machine or phone app will help create a calming environment and remember that the ideal temperature for sleep is 60F-67F (15C-19C).
• Rethink pre-bedtime snacks. Foods that are fried, overly rich, spicy or acidic are enemies of a good night’s sleep. Carbonated beverages, caffeinated tea or coffee and, of course, alcoholic drinks dehydrate and cause middle of the night wakefulness. Consider how you can help make healthy bedtime snacking a family activity.

5 things Mom should never do in bed

Unless your Mom is trying to get the worst night’s sleep of her life, these things should never be done in bed. 

• Don’t smoke in bed. You don’t need us to tell you why smoking is unhealthy and why it should never be done in bed. But it’s worth noting that smoking remains the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths in America, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. By the way, nicotine is a stimulant, which means it also disturbs natural sleep patterns.
• Don’t eat in bed. While some of our Facebook friends admitted to noshing on pizza in bed, some foods should never be eaten in bed. Besides the ick factor of crumbs between the sheets, some foods can be difficult to digest and that’s not good news for a good night’s sleep.
• Don’t argue in bed. If bedtime is when your Mom gets chatty, help her steer clear of hot button issues that get her adrenaline pumping. And then make time in the morning to circle back for bigger discussions.
• Don’t watch scary movies in bed. Winding down for a good night’s sleep is almost impossible when you’re watching a horror movie that makes you anxious or scared.
• Don’t pay bills in bed. Do we really need to explain why this isn’t a good idea?

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

• Sneaky sources of drowsiness and fatigue
• What’s the best mattress for your age and stage of life?
• The essential guide to creating a bedroom you’ll love sleeping in