How Can I Stop My Insomnia Naturally?
Sleep when the baby sleeps they said….not an easy thing to do when you’re feeling internally shaky, on edge and like you’re somewhere outside of yourself. I was sleep deprived, drained of all my internal resources and having to take on this new role of motherhood.
I was 41 years old when I had my daughter (she’s now 10 months) and I felt because I was an older mum I should just know what I was doing and I should love it because I’d wanted this for such a long time. But this wasn’t the case. I was totally overwhelmed by this new experience and finding it very difficult to keep worries and anxiety at bay.
One of the things I knew was massively contributing to this current state of overwhelm was sleep deprivation. I often found it hard to get back to sleep at night after feeding bubs and might even be awake all the way through till the next feed. I’ve been an insomniac in the past so know how lack of sleep can make a person feel less resilient to life and in a hyper state of alertness. My daughter was also a catnapper during the day so it was hard for me to “catch-up” on sleep.
To counteract the lack of sleep I turned to Yoga Nidra. This is guided relaxation that can be done lying down. It drops away tension, calms the breath and helped me feel much more deeply rested. I discovered Yoga Nidra during my teacher training 14 years ago and have loved it every since. I find it much more calming to my mind than meditation. It is a technique I frequently recommend to my shiatsu clients. There are many free ones on You Tube and they are all different lengths. I would do shorter ones during the day and longer ones to help me sleep (or at least get some rest) at night.
Broken sleep can really mess with the body’s circadian rhythm so getting out for a walk in the morning was also a priority for me. The morning sun between 8-10am is best for resetting the rhythm. A good 30 min walk also helped to clear the adrenalised, shakey feeling I often felt in the morning and it helped regulate and deepen my breathing and calm my thoughts.
Getting out of the house and stating to yourself (or telling bubs) what is around you is also a handy trick for anxiety sufferers. E.g I see a pink flower, I see a red car etc. It brings you into the present moment and takes you out of the worried thoughts that are often a big part of anxiety and usually based in the future around things you can’t control.
Another trick I found quite useful for circulating thoughts comes from a technique called Neurosculpting. You take the thought and identify how it makes you feel. You then think of what the feeling reminds you of, and then you think about what that thing makes you think of and on and on until you come to something positive and you feel good. Eg My “worry” makes me feel hot. Feeling hot makes me think of fire. Fire makes me think of fireplaces. Fireplaces make me think of sitting and drinking cups of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate makes me think of marshmallows ☺. Get the idea.
I also found that being out of the house brought me into contact with other people. This reminded me that I wasn’t alone. I would often see other mums walking their little ones in a pram and we would smile at each other and also older people who were more than happy to stop, have a look at the baby and have a little chat. They were often full of very supporting messages and if women sympathised with how difficult motherhood is.
You might find that one, some or all of these are enough to help you through post natal overwhelm and anxiety. Keep in mind that pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are very depleting to a woman’s body. During pregnancy the placenta has prioritised the baby when it comes to blood and nutrients. In Shiatsu we see that during birth you lose a lot of qi, blood and jing. The post natal period is also very depleting especially if you are choosing to breastfeed. And so from the moment the baby is born you are already operating at a sub-optimal level. This is why diet is so important post birth. As my daughter was born during the winter my go to was bone broths and I tried to make as many soups and stews in the slow coker as possible. These meals meant the food was already highly broken down and much easier for my body to absorb the nutrition.
Much of post natal anxiety and other post natal conditions can come from your micronutrients being depleted. That means your internal resources of things like iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin c, d and b12 are not as high as they need to be to support you. So make sure you keep taking your prenatal supplements.
One of the best things I did was get my iron tested. My iron stores were very low and I was referred by my GP for an iron infusion (this is necessary if your iron levels are less than 25mcg/L). Since topping up my iron stores I have found it much easier to keep my feelings in check and a lid on my worries and anxiety. Specialist GPs and Naturopaths can do micronutrient testing. I always feel it is better to see one of these practitioners to find out what you might be lacking rather than taking random supplements that you might not need.
To understand how depleting motherhood can be I highly recommend Dr Oscar Serrallach’s book The Postnatal Depletion Cure. It is a guide for mothers on how to rebuild health and energy. He recommends Ashwaganda (Indian Ginseng) to help with sleep and mood (not to be taken if you’re on a anti-anxiety or anti-depressant). It’s a yummy warm drink you can make up in the morning and at night. It has definitely helped my sleep and better sleep lessens my overwhelm and anxiety.
One of the key things to rebuilding and taking control of post natal depletion or motherhood depletion is rest. Restorative therapies like Shiatsu (Japanese acupressure massage) are wonderful as they help you feel held and nurtured. It is what we are doing for our babies and children all the time but rarely do for ourselves. This is a key part of the work I do as a Shiatsu Therapist. I use acupressure massage to help bring a mothers body back into balance. For me anxiety has always felt like my spirit crying out for attention as it no longer feels safe and secure. Shiatsu has a very calming effect on the spirit. When we feel safe and secure we are often more resilient and able to deal with the everyday challenges of motherhood and life in general.
It has taken me almost 10 months since my daughter was born to adjust to this new life of motherhood. I can’t say I enjoy it everyday and I still have moments of overwhelm but I am no longer as anxious about it as I was. There is definitely light on the horizon and even the idea of a second bub ;).
If you’re are suffering from overwhelm or anxiety as a mother please seek help. There are many people out there that can help you. I choose Shiatsu and I hope you do too.
At Soul Body Shiatsu in Bayside, Melbourne we help women overcome sleep deprivation from motherhood and stress induced insomnia. To book a Shiatsu with Marian contact her on 0403 550 695 or send an email to soulbodyshiatsu@gmail.com. We’re also on facebook and instagram.