The Gift of Rest: A Father's Day Wish

Dads are the best. He’s your role model, biggest supporter, and first port of call when something in the house needs fixing (at least he is, in our house). He’s also probably exhausted. Being a parent is a 24/7 job with no sick days or annual leave, although it has its own perks. Numerous studies have found that parents have shorter, more disturbed sleep and higher fatigue during the early years of their child’s life - which we are sure comes as no shock to anyone who’s had, children. This poor sleep has been linked to poorer mental health and strained relationships between partners for both mothers and fathers. Interestingly, it is disturbed sleep that seems to have the greatest impact on mood and mental health, as opposed to sleep deprivation.

The Importance of Restorative Sleep

Bearing that in mind, it seems like the best gift you could give your dad this Father’s Day is some uninterrupted rest. Luckily, for most parents, this is a short-term issue. In most instances, parental sleep appears to improve over time. This is because as children get older they start to have more consolidated sleep, meaning that parents also begin to get a reprieve from the constant awakenings. In the meantime, what can you do while you wait? Try your best to steal as much sleep as you can between dusk and dawn. This helps to to keep your body’s natural 24h rhythms (your circadian rhythms) intact. To do this, a mind shift is necessary: the hours between sunset and sunrise need to be prioritised to caring for your baby and sleeping. Many people are tempted to use their baby’s sleeping time at night for chores, work, admin, social media – and understandably this may seem like the only opportunity. Our suggestion is that these activities be relegated to daylight hours – just for this period.

No matter how old your child is though, as a parent you need to be on your A-game for them and that starts with satisfying and restorative sleep. This means setting up your daytime routine and behaviours to maximise the quality of your sleep even after the initial new-born phase. Look at your light, exercise, meal timing and caffeine intake to assess if any of these areas may be subtly wreaking havoc on your sleep.

Maximizing Sleep Quality:

• Light is the major signal to our body that it is daytime. This means that we need to try and limit our light exposure at night while getting as much natural light as possible in the mornings. We are not suggesting you sit in the absolute dark at night – we all hate loadshedding and no one is doing that voluntarily. But trying to limit our use of electronic devices (particularly cellphones) in the hour before bed and using the blue light filter options can make a big difference to the quality of your sleep.
• Exercise helps us sleep longer, more deeply and helps us feel sleepier when the opportunity for sleep arises. It also has the additional benefit of helping to manage any family-, work- or financial-related stresses which crop up for any parent. Try scheduling in 20 – 60min of exercise during the day – you may be surprised at how much it reduces your daytime sleepiness and gives you an energy boost.
• Meal timing may not be the first thing you think of when trying to improve your sleep, but meals are important “wake” cues to our body and will send a signal to your body that is it daytime. Avoid eating a full meal ±2h before bedtime as you want to start signalling “sleep” to your body. 
• As fatigue levels increase there is a huge temptation to rely on stimulants such as caffeine. If you do choose caffeine, rather limit the volume (so that you become sensitized to its effect) and to prevent it from disrupting your sleep later. Consuming caffeine too late in the day may make it really difficult for you to fall asleep that evening so try and limit your coffees to the morning.

Building Supportive Structures

None of this is easy to do – and certainly most of these suggestions may only work if you have a supportive partner or family members to share the load, allowing you the precious time needed to eat, sleep and recover. And that is probably the most important message: working as a team or community is key. So don’t be afraid to ask for help and put structures in place to create the support that you need.

To all the dads (or moms) who are overwhelmed and struggling with their sleep, Sleep Science is here to help! Visit our website at www.sleepscience.co.za or email us at [email protected] to make an appointment and take the first steps to optimising your sleep.

Don’t let your mattress disrupt the quality of your precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. Get the very best mattress to suit your comfort and support. Find your nearest Dial•a•Bed store or shop online at www.dialabed.co.za. #SleepForLife!