Speak to the majority of working mothers and you’ll find the one thing they lack above all is a good night’s sleep. This is a huge problem, since lack of sleep can lead to illnesses, stress, and depression.

I have noticed the difference in how I feel when I get a good night’s sleep and when I don’t. Working at home has made sleep a difficult matter. Since I work when my kids are otherwise occupied, this means getting up early and staying up, at times, later than I want to finish a project. But when I do this, I wake the next day feeling about 50% of how I should, and the things that I have on my list for that day seem too daunting. In order to function at 100%, I find I need a good, solid 7 hours of sleep.

I recently picked up the book Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified by Tracey I. Marks, M.D, who works as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Atlanta. Dr. Marks has worked with a variety of women who struggle to balance work, family, and life, and she suggests everyone should have some type of “sleep hygiene” program to get their bodies on track for sleep.

In my own home, I have found a few things. First, if I don’t hit the bed by 9:30 at the latest, my 10:00 go-to-sleep time gets shot. I wind up catching a second wind and am lucky to be asleep by 11:30. But to get my optimum 7 hours of sleep I need to be asleep by 10 to wake at 5.

I also know that if I work too late, I get ‘revved up’ and can’t relax enough to fall asleep. This is a problem for many work at home parents. We work late to get things done, but work stimulates us. So, if we work until 10, our body needs an hour or more of downtime to relax. This means we have pushed past our bedtime and are losing an hour to two hours of much-needed sleep.

Dr. Marks suggest starting a bedtime routine that includes:

• Setting aside thirty or so minutes to do something relaxing, like reading a book
• Finding your ideal bedtime
• Keeping your room cool and dark, and using it only for sleep

Thirty Minutes of Relaxation

During this thirty-minute period of down time, Dr. Marks says to do something that relaxes you. The television and computer are stimulants. Some people say they can fall asleep to the television, but in reality the noise can disturb sleep and the stimulating effects of a good show can keep you up longer. Instead, trade the television for a book or quiet time to meditate or do yoga.

Also, get rid of the laptop at night. Don’t stop to check emails. I posted yesterday about cleaning out the inbox because emails can be so distracting. Oftentimes you stop and check the inbox and then spend half an hour responding. If you want to be asleep by 10, turn off the computer at 9. Give yourself an hour to ‘get away’ from work.

Finding Your Ideal Bedtime

Dr. Marks says most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. I find 7 is great for me most days of the week, though I enjoy sleeping a bit longer on Saturdays. Since I need to be up at 5, my best time to fall asleep will be 10.

Find your ideal bedtime by playing around with this a bit. How many hours do you need so that when you wake in the morning you feel refreshed? If you go to bed at 10 and sleep until you wake, what time do you wake naturally and feel refreshed?

Make the Bedroom a Bedroom

First of all, never do work in the bedroom; this is the reason you have a home office. Keep all work related items in the office. Don’t bring the laptop to the bedroom, because then the bedroom becomes associated with work and stress and deadlines. Put down the Droid when you crawl beneath the covers.

When it is time to go to bed, make sure the room is cool and dark. Dr. Marks mentions in her book that sleep researchers have found the ideal condition for the bedroom is cool and dark, like a cave. You don’t want your toes to turn to Popsicles, though, so aim to keep the temperature between 65 and 74 degrees.

Speak to the majority of working mothers and you’ll find the one thing they lack above all is a good night’s sleep. This is a huge problem, since lack of sleep can lead to illnesses, stress, and depression.

I have noticed the difference in how I feel when I get a good night’s sleep and when I don’t. Working at home has made sleep a difficult matter. Since I work when my kids are otherwise occupied, this means getting up early and staying up, at times, later than I want to finish a project. But when I do this, I wake the next day feeling about 50% of how I should, and the things that I have on my list for that day seem too daunting. In order to function at 100%, I find I need a good, solid 7 hours of sleep.

I recently picked up the book Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified by Tracey I. Marks, M.D, who works as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Atlanta. Dr. Marks has worked with a variety of women who struggle to balance work, family, and life, and she suggests everyone should have some type of “sleep hygiene” program to get their bodies on track for sleep.

In my own home, I have found a few things. First, if I don’t hit the bed by 9:30 at the latest, my 10:00 go-to-sleep time gets shot. I wind up catching a second wind and am lucky to be asleep by 11:30. But to get my optimum 7 hours of sleep I need to be asleep by 10 to wake at 5.

I also know that if I work too late, I get ‘revved up’ and can’t relax enough to fall asleep. This is a problem for many work at home parents. We work late to get things done, but work stimulates us. So, if we work until 10, our body needs an hour or more of downtime to relax. This means we have pushed past our bedtime and are losing an hour to two hours of much-needed sleep.

Dr. Marks suggest starting a bedtime routine that includes:

• Setting aside thirty or so minutes to do something relaxing, like reading a book
• Finding your ideal bedtime
• Keeping your room cool and dark, and using it only for sleep

Thirty Minutes of Relaxation

During this thirty-minute period of down time, Dr. Marks says to do something that relaxes you. The television and computer are stimulants. Some people say they can fall asleep to the television, but in reality the noise can disturb sleep and the stimulating effects of a good show can keep you up longer. Instead, trade the television for a book or quiet time to meditate or do yoga.

Also, get rid of the laptop at night. Don’t stop to check emails. I posted yesterday about cleaning out the inbox because emails can be so distracting. Oftentimes you stop and check the inbox and then spend half an hour responding. If you want to be asleep by 10, turn off the computer at 9. Give yourself an hour to ‘get away’ from work.

Finding Your Ideal Bedtime

Dr. Marks says most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. I find 7 is great for me most days of the week, though I enjoy sleeping a bit longer on Saturdays. Since I need to be up at 5, my best time to fall asleep will be 10.

Find your ideal bedtime by playing around with this a bit. How many hours do you need so that when you wake in the morning you feel refreshed? If you go to bed at 10 and sleep until you wake, what time do you wake naturally and feel refreshed?

Make the Bedroom a Bedroom

First of all, never do work in the bedroom; this is the reason you have a home office. Keep all work related items in the office. Don’t bring the laptop to the bedroom, because then the bedroom becomes associated with work and stress and deadlines. Put down the Droid when you crawl beneath the covers.

When it is time to go to bed, make sure the room is cool and dark. Dr. Marks mentions in her book that sleep researchers have found the ideal condition for the bedroom is cool and dark, like a cave. You don’t want your toes to turn to Popsicles, though, so aim to keep the temperature between 65 and 74 degrees.

Speak to the majority of working mothers and you’ll find the one thing they lack above all is a good night’s sleep. This is a huge problem, since lack of sleep can lead to illnesses, stress, and depression.

I have noticed the difference in how I feel when I get a good night’s sleep and when I don’t. Working at home has made sleep a difficult matter. Since I work when my kids are otherwise occupied, this means getting up early and staying up, at times, later than I want to finish a project. But when I do this, I wake the next day feeling about 50% of how I should, and the things that I have on my list for that day seem too daunting. In order to function at 100%, I find I need a good, solid 7 hours of sleep.

I recently picked up the book Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified by Tracey I. Marks, M.D, who works as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Atlanta. Dr. Marks has worked with a variety of women who struggle to balance work, family, and life, and she suggests everyone should have some type of “sleep hygiene” program to get their bodies on track for sleep.

In my own home, I have found a few things. First, if I don’t hit the bed by 9:30 at the latest, my 10:00 go-to-sleep time gets shot. I wind up catching a second wind and am lucky to be asleep by 11:30. But to get my optimum 7 hours of sleep I need to be asleep by 10 to wake at 5.

I also know that if I work too late, I get ‘revved up’ and can’t relax enough to fall asleep. This is a problem for many work at home parents. We work late to get things done, but work stimulates us. So, if we work until 10, our body needs an hour or more of downtime to relax. This means we have pushed past our bedtime and are losing an hour to two hours of much-needed sleep.

Dr. Marks suggest starting a bedtime routine that includes:

• Setting aside thirty or so minutes to do something relaxing, like reading a book
• Finding your ideal bedtime
• Keeping your room cool and dark, and using it only for sleep

Thirty Minutes of Relaxation

During this thirty-minute period of down time, Dr. Marks says to do something that relaxes you. The television and computer are stimulants. Some people say they can fall asleep to the television, but in reality the noise can disturb sleep and the stimulating effects of a good show can keep you up longer. Instead, trade the television for a book or quiet time to meditate or do yoga.

Also, get rid of the laptop at night. Don’t stop to check emails. I posted yesterday about cleaning out the inbox because emails can be so distracting. Oftentimes you stop and check the inbox and then spend half an hour responding. If you want to be asleep by 10, turn off the computer at 9. Give yourself an hour to ‘get away’ from work.

Finding Your Ideal Bedtime

Dr. Marks says most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. I find 7 is great for me most days of the week, though I enjoy sleeping a bit longer on Saturdays. Since I need to be up at 5, my best time to fall asleep will be 10.

Find your ideal bedtime by playing around with this a bit. How many hours do you need so that when you wake in the morning you feel refreshed? If you go to bed at 10 and sleep until you wake, what time do you wake naturally and feel refreshed?

Make the Bedroom a Bedroom

First of all, never do work in the bedroom; this is the reason you have a home office. Keep all work related items in the office. Don’t bring the laptop to the bedroom, because then the bedroom becomes associated with work and stress and deadlines. Put down the Droid when you crawl beneath the covers.

When it is time to go to bed, make sure the room is cool and dark. Dr. Marks mentions in her book that sleep researchers have found the ideal condition for the bedroom is cool and dark, like a cave. You don’t want your toes to turn to Popsicles, though, so aim to keep the temperature between 65 and 74 degrees.

Speak to the majority of working mothers and you’ll find the one thing they lack above all is a good night’s sleep. This is a huge problem, since lack of sleep can lead to illnesses, stress, and depression.

I have noticed the difference in how I feel when I get a good night’s sleep and when I don’t. Working at home has made sleep a difficult matter. Since I work when my kids are otherwise occupied, this means getting up early and staying up, at times, later than I want to finish a project. But when I do this, I wake the next day feeling about 50% of how I should, and the things that I have on my list for that day seem too daunting. In order to function at 100%, I find I need a good, solid 7 hours of sleep.

I recently picked up the book Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified by Tracey I. Marks, M.D, who works as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Atlanta. Dr. Marks has worked with a variety of women who struggle to balance work, family, and life, and she suggests everyone should have some type of “sleep hygiene” program to get their bodies on track for sleep.

In my own home, I have found a few things. First, if I don’t hit the bed by 9:30 at the latest, my 10:00 go-to-sleep time gets shot. I wind up catching a second wind and am lucky to be asleep by 11:30. But to get my optimum 7 hours of sleep I need to be asleep by 10 to wake at 5.

I also know that if I work too late, I get ‘revved up’ and can’t relax enough to fall asleep. This is a problem for many work at home parents. We work late to get things done, but work stimulates us. So, if we work until 10, our body needs an hour or more of downtime to relax. This means we have pushed past our bedtime and are losing an hour to two hours of much-needed sleep.

Dr. Marks suggest starting a bedtime routine that includes:

• Setting aside thirty or so minutes to do something relaxing, like reading a book
• Finding your ideal bedtime
• Keeping your room cool and dark, and using it only for sleep

Thirty Minutes of Relaxation

During this thirty-minute period of down time, Dr. Marks says to do something that relaxes you. The television and computer are stimulants. Some people say they can fall asleep to the television, but in reality the noise can disturb sleep and the stimulating effects of a good show can keep you up longer. Instead, trade the television for a book or quiet time to meditate or do yoga.

Also, get rid of the laptop at night. Don’t stop to check emails. I posted yesterday about cleaning out the inbox because emails can be so distracting. Oftentimes you stop and check the inbox and then spend half an hour responding. If you want to be asleep by 10, turn off the computer at 9. Give yourself an hour to ‘get away’ from work.

Finding Your Ideal Bedtime

Dr. Marks says most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. I find 7 is great for me most days of the week, though I enjoy sleeping a bit longer on Saturdays. Since I need to be up at 5, my best time to fall asleep will be 10.

Find your ideal bedtime by playing around with this a bit. How many hours do you need so that when you wake in the morning you feel refreshed? If you go to bed at 10 and sleep until you wake, what time do you wake naturally and feel refreshed?

Make the Bedroom a Bedroom

First of all, never do work in the bedroom; this is the reason you have a home office. Keep all work related items in the office. Don’t bring the laptop to the bedroom, because then the bedroom becomes associated with work and stress and deadlines. Put down the Droid when you crawl beneath the covers.

When it is time to go to bed, make sure the room is cool and dark. Dr. Marks mentions in her book that sleep researchers have found the ideal condition for the bedroom is cool and dark, like a cave. You don’t want your toes to turn to Popsicles, though, so aim to keep the temperature between 65 and 74 degrees.