Freya is 19 months old now.

I stopped breastfeeding just over two weeks ago. The first week was challenging as Freya needed a few days to adjust. She was waking up between 11pm and midnight every night for the first week, crying (hungry). She is still waking up but not every night.

Last week was wonderful.

I turned off the baby monitor (I can hear through the wall when she cries at night, but I am not woken up by her every move) and enjoyed a few nights of longer sleep. Even though I didn’t get a full night of sleep yet, I feel way better.

Until last night…

As Freya woke up and cried a lot, I took her to our bed… It was the biggest mistake ever. She was tossing and turning for what felt like forever and I got no more than 4 hours sleep that night. Being in my follicular phase helped a bit, but gosh I was tired.

As I had so much work scheduled for the day, I needed energy.

When I used to work in the office (that was over 8 years ago) I would drink jugs of coffee and eat chocolate.

That never worked and had the opposite effect, making me more tired each time.

I was too scared to give it a go now.

Today, while taking care of Freya I needed more energy than when I worked in the office. How funny?!

My days are pretty alike. I work from home when Freya sleeps and when she is up I’m with her until she goes to bed. We don’t have any family around and she is not entitled to go to the nursery until she turns 2 years old. I need my energy for the time I spend with her as much as for the work I plan to do when she is asleep.

Yesterday, I hoped, I would have a chance for a power nap, but it didn’t happen. I survived and I actually had a pretty good day.

Here is what kept my energy high-ish despite having so little sleep:

1.      Hydration

It is such a powerful tool. When we’re even slightly dehydrated our energy drops. Staying hydrated will keep that energy high. It won’t make up for a sleepless night but you will eliminate one additional stressor: dehydration, therefore you won’t be getting even more tired because of it.

I love drinking lemon water, especially when I’m tired. Fruit or herbs infused water is absorbed better by our cells due to additional nutritional content. Yesterday I needed more than that so I had a homemade isotonic: water, lemon juice from half lemon, pinch of Himalaya salt, ¼ teaspoon of raw honey. I always make it when I teach high energy classes as it helps me replenish all the minerals that I sweat out, but it is also extremely helpful on those days when my energy is low. Hydration is the key.

Other great options are coconut water (I used to drink it a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t like the only brand that is available here and therefore I don’t buy it very often anymore) and mineral water. We have Sauerbrunn here, natural mineral water from the source just 10 min up the mountain. It is amazing and so rehydrating due to the high mineral content. It is good to have some mineral water at home (always buy it in a glass bottle) for those days when you feel a bit bleh.

2.      Take it easy

No matter what you have planned for the day, take it easy. For me it means taking Freya to the playground instead of hiking up the mountain. We had so much fun! She loves slides. On our playground, I can slide with her. I cannot imagine staying at home with her when I’m exhausted, it is way easier to keep her happy with little effort when she is at the playground. Plus being outside is a great way to top up our vitamin D reserves. Low vitamin D will lead to weak immune system and low energy. Spending time outdoors is the perfect energy booster.

3.      Mobility exercises and myofascial self-release

Movement is medicine. I move every day, especially when I am tired. Walking is great (but only if I don’t have to carry Freya for the whole walk), it really helps my body relax. Mobility exercises and self-massage help me release excess tension from my body, caused by the lack of sleep. It is unbelievable what a difference these exercises make. If you want to check the exercises I did yesterday, after not getting enough sleep, join our private FB group (link here). It was only about 7 minutes long but it made me feel so relaxed and free (when you join our FB group you will get access to my 5-min daily workouts for tired mums) 

4.      Positive attitude

I once read that sleeping 4 hours doesn’t have to affect your energy. I love that idea, but I don’t think it applies to a mother who regularly gets interrupted 4-6 hours’ sleep at night. For us another 4-hour night is a huge challenge. But positive attitude will help. Knowing that our body can deal with that sometimes (for most people it cannot be a permanent sleeping routine, as we need on average 8h sleep to stay healthy) is really reassuring. I focused on staying as positive, happy and smiling as possible yesterday and decided that I won’t complaint about how tired I was. It definitely helped.

5.      No sugar, low carbs, eat protein.

Because both sugar and carbs result in a fast insulin spike and drop, I watched my carbs yesterday. In general, we eat too many carbs and not enough vegetables each day, therefore we struggle with weight, health and energy. Saying that, it is often the easiest option when there is so much going on in our life. But eating better doesn’t have to be complicated. Eggs, canned fish, fresh salad with tomatoes, avocados, nuts, bananas, apples are easy food options for those days when we’re too tired to do anything complex. This is what will keep cravings at bay and will give you consistent energy. Indulging in sugar and high glycaemic index carbs like pesto pasta (which we all love here) will leave you drained. Sugar, bread or pasta are often the first thing that comes to mind when we are tired, but it is the last thing we should consume if we need to keep energy high and have no chance for a nap (and to stay healthy of course).

6.      Watch the coffee

Coffee, my love. I love, love, love coffee. I am now cutting it down as I am preparing for a second pregnancy. I have been drinking less coffee for almost three weeks now and I managed to create a nice habit of drinking more caffeine-free tea. It made it easier not to drink too much caffeine when I was so tired.  Surprisingly it is easy for me to sustain it as I feel better without it.

Just a few months ago, downing more coffee would be my first choice. This has the same effect as eating sugar. Quick energy spike and even quicker energy drop. I cannot even explain how much better I feel since I drink less coffee. On those days when you’re tired, drink your regular amount but always top it up with double the amount of water. Coffee will dehydrate you so make sure you drink enough (water, isotonic, coconut water, herbal teas). Watching your caffeine intake and reducing sugar will also improve your sleep quality when you finally go to bed.

7.      Green drink

In my cupboard I always have a green superfood powder. I don’t drink it every day, but I have it on “special occasions”: when I am tired, don’t have enough veggies in the fridge and after teaching high energy classes like spinning. These are the days when my body needs additional care and support, and this is what keeps my energy high.

8.      Vitamin C

Vitamin C saved me many times before, especially those days when I was recovering from adrenal fatigue. Vitamin C increases adrenal function and stimulates our immune system[1]. It helps reduce stress and can support our body when we’re going through an emotional crisis. Vitamin C is water soluble. It gets quickly used up and excreted from the body therefore it is better to consume it in more intervals throughout the day. I use vitamin C powder supplement. The ones made from currants, acai berries or camu-camu with natural bioflavonoids are the best.

9.      Magnesium

I just cannot live without it anymore. It is irreplaceable in times of stress or lack of sleep (which is every day now for me). Most people are magnesium deficient so taking it regularly may be a good option anyhow (I would recommend doing blood test and talking to your doctor before you start taking any supplements).

Magnesium is best absorbed after 8pm but it can be taken during the day when you’re very tired or stressed. I have magnesium in 4 different forms: tablets, spray, liquid and bath salt ( I have realised that just now… how crazy). I take tablets and use spray every day. Liquid works best for me after teaching an evening spinning (it gets absorb faster and helps me sleep after high energy workout). When I am extremely tired, I like taking Epsom salt bath.

When I was pregnant my doctor told me to take more magnesium to avoid cramps. How much is good? She mentioned that diarrhoea is a sign of magnesium overdose. It is reassuring to know I’m not overdosing despite taking a bit more than daily recommendation.

Magnesium spray on my back, before going to bed, helps me stay pain-free and sleep better.

Try all or any of these tips above and you will be surprised how good you can feel even if you don’t sleep enough at night. These are simple and healthy tricks that will save you a lot of stress and discomfort. These will also help you sleep better at night so you can recover.

With love,

Karo

[1] “Adrenal fatigue, the 21st century stress syndrome” by James, L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.