If your little one is waking up more frequently throughout the night or struggling to fall asleep, they might be experiencing a sleep regression. While this is totally normal for babies and toddlers, it can definitely be hard on parents.
When faced with her 2-year-old daughter’s sleeping problems, one mom decided it was time to take a “sleep-cation” and catch up on the quality sleep she’d been missing out on.
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Her toddler kept waking up throughout the night, leaving the mom feeling exhausted.
In an essay for Business Insider, Michelle Stansbury explained that her daughter “started waking up several times each night.” While her daughter was able to fall back asleep after waking up during the night, the mom struggled to do so.
After dealing with her daughter’s sleeping challenges for a week, Michelle felt “exhausted.” Beyond that, she’s aware that sleep deprivation significantly impacts her mood, her memory, and her parenting.
She decided to take a break — and didn't feel guilty about it.
The mom noted that some of her friends deal with “mom guilt” when they spend time away from their kiddos. However, Michelle felt like her exhaustion affected her ability to “be a great parent.” Knowing that spending some time away from her daughter would help her feel refreshed, she didn’t feel guilty about booking a trip.
“What I do feel mom guilt over is when I don’t show up as my best self for my daughter, like when my patience runs short because I’m tired,” she wrote. “When I make time to decompress and catch up on rest, I always come back as a better mom.”
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She booked a sleep-cation.
While many people travel to relax, fewer people travel just to sleep. At the same time, interest in sleep tourism is increasing, with some hotels offering “sleep suites” and other sleep-related amenities. Michelle decided to go to Murrieta Hot Springs Resort in Southern California for a sleep-cation. The resort boasts bed technology designed for “restorative rest.”
“I checked into the adults-only ‘King Sleep Room’ which features an advanced Bryte Balance bed. A QR code on the nightstand led me to connect with the bed to select my desired firmness and sign up to get a sleep report the next morning,” Michelle wrote.
Her King Sleep Room was “nestled in a tranquil and serene section of the resort.” The room has a “semi-private porch” for “mindful relaxation,” the resort’s website notes. Additionally, the room had a “sleep ritual tray.”
The experience truly did make a difference.
Though she only booked a one-night sleep-cation, she felt refreshed and also learned more about how to feel truly rested. Noting that there are “four sleep stages,” Michelle wrote she “didn’t realize how essential it was to have those cycles happen undisrupted.”
“When sleep is fragmented — like being briefly woken by the squeals of a toddler having a bad dream — you lose some of the restorative benefits of sleep,” she added.
During her sleep-cation, she slept for about 10 hours.
Of course, she only enjoyed 10 hours of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep in one night. That included 4 hours and 21 minutes of deep sleep. However, she still feels like the sleep-cation will have a lasting impact on her.
“After my night away, I felt a substantial difference in how rested I felt and am going to try to make it a more regular occurrence,” she concluded in her essay. “I owe it to my daughter — and to myself.”
