Get Your Zzzzs!

     It’s a new year and a brand new look at infertility. Last year, we hoped, we lost, we cried…but now hopefully new “stress-free” patterns will emerge in your daily routine including getting more sleep.

    I remember all the sleepless nights I’d have when I went through infertility. I would lie there, awake and wonder about when I would actually get pregnant, if my follicles were growing OK, if the hormones were making me crazy, if this cycle had worked, and if everyone around me would get pregnant before it was ever my turn…among other incessant questions. Like a zombie, I would go through my day irritable and weepy. Eventually, the lack of sleep not only made me exhausted but made me more stressed out.

    Here’s an excerpt from an article from About.com on Women’s Health:

“According to the National Sleep Foundation, 70 percent of Americans don’t get enough sleep, and most sleep disorder sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated. Yet sleep is integral to our quality of life, overall health, and fertility. Sleep helps restore and rejuvenate the brain and organ systems — including the reproductive system. When sleep suffers over the long run, so does our relationship with our spouse, our mood, our immunity, and even our hormone balance. Sleep loss can also lead to fertility-disrupting lifestyle factors like caffeine overuse and weight gain.”

    But there is hope. First, you have to let go of the fears that infertility can manifest (the fear of being childless, of getting too old to have children, etc.). Don’t let infertility consume your thoughts. Trust your body, use relaxation techniques (like meditation, yoga, & acupuncture) that help keep you calm and restful, and drink some soothing herbal tea. Focus on your sleep and tomorrow will be another day. Sweet dreams!

ehow.com