How I Navigate Sleep as a New Mom + Runner

Long gone are the days where people brag about how little sleep they’re getting. Now there are whole books, products, you name it to aid in good sleep. Sleep is an essential element for the average person’s wellbeing. 

Sleep is especially important for runners or anyone putting in long hours of high-impact activity. Sleep supports muscle recovery. So when you don’t sleep as a high performer, your body is not recovering as well as it could. This could lead to less than ideal performance or more concerning, injury.

Of course, good sleep can be out of reach for a lot of people, especially caregivers! As a new mom, my family and I have had our fair share of sleep deprivation. Tbh, we are in the middle of a sleep regression right now…

While we navigate our little one’s sleep changes, there are a few things that work for me to feel more rested. Note, this is not medical advice. But I do want to share what works for me as a runner and new mom.  

• Magnesium glycinate: Sleep has always been somewhat of a struggle for me. Magnesium is an excellent supplement to consider. It’s great for migraines (which I also use to struggle with) and muscle soreness. Bonus: It's generally pregnancy and breastfeeding safe.
• Early bedtime: This likely isn’t too surprising. More hours in bed is likely better for many of us. Given that I breastfeed, my little one still wakes during the night to feed. Getting in the bed earlier allows me to at least attempt to make up some of this time. 
• Co sleeping: As I mentioned earlier, we are smack dab in the middle of a sleep regression right now. For the past week or so, my husband and I had been getting up constantly to settle and feed our little one. Safe co-sleeping eliminates that need because our little is close by. Now, we don’t plan to co-sleep forever but it helps all of us feel a bit more rested. 

Sleep is critical for overall well-being. Without it, we can experience cognitive decline and physical fatigue. As a new mom, I am leaning on tools that work for me and my family.

What do you do to support your sleep?