5 Tips to Help You Feel Better When You Haven’t Had Enough Sleep

As parents, we often don’t get enough sleep, especially when our babies are little. Whoever came up with the term ‘sleeping like a baby’ was seriously silly. My little girl was a terrible sleeper when she was really small and as it is perfectly normal for little ones to wake multiple times a night then it is something we just have to accept.

She now generally sleeps very well, I, however, am a terrible sleeper. I struggle to get to sleep and then I usually wake up loads. I can lie awake for hours and hours even though I am totally exhausted and it sucks big time. I am used to feeling pretty rubbish every day, but on the days that are particularly rough, I try to make the effort to do some little things to help myself feel as good as I can do.

Here are 5 tips to help you feel better when you haven’t had enough sleep:

Look after your eyes 

When I am tired I get really sore and sometimes dry eyes. They often feel like they are burning and especially when I have been on my laptop all day they can be really sore. It is probably one of the worst parts of being so tired for me.

I love to use eye drops to rehydrate my eyes and make them feel less sore, and I find it really helps when I remember to use them. I keep some at home and some in my handbag, because when I am tired and my eyes get dry my contact lens can also dry out and get really uncomfortable. Putting a couple of drops of the liquid in each eye can really make my eyes much more comfortable, at least for a little while.

Optrex make a spray (ActiMist 2in1 Eye Spray) that you spray over your closed eyelid to soothe and make your eyes more comfortable and I really like them. You can use it over makeup and I really think they do make my eyes a bit less sore. I find they take the edge off the burning pain.

Get outside

I really struggle to make myself go out when I am absolutely knackered, and it’s the last thing I want to do. But if I do decide to make the effort then I pretty much always feel better afterwards. Getting a little bit of fresh air can really make you feel more awake, as well as being a great distraction if you are feeling rather sh*t. At home, it can be easy to wallow in self-pity and how absolutely crap you are feeling, but make yourself get out of your pj’s (or leggings) and go outside and I bet you’ll feel much better. When I have to do the school run despite the fact that I got no sleep and my eyes are only open the tiniest slither, I do feel better afterwards.

Drink loads of water and eat well

I know it’s tempting when you are bloody tired to eat things that are full of sugar and drink loads of coffee, but actually, these things will make you feel a lot worse. Try to drink loads of water and eat the right foods; foods that don’t make you feel even sleepier, lethargic and crappy.

I know how easy it is to want to eat bacon sandwiches and drink coffee, but that will only make you feel better for a few minutes and then worse after. Caffeine dehydrates you which will make you feel worse, so if you do have to have your coffee to even function then make sure you counteract that by drinking loads of water. Eating a spoonful of coconut oil is also great for giving you energy if you can bring yourself to do it.

Exercise

I know, it’s a horrible one, and often the last thing you feel like doing when you’re knackered, but making yourself jump up (or crawl up) and do a small amount of exercise really will give you more energy. I am so tired at the moment, but on the days I manage to force myself to do a quick ten minutes or so of exercise then I really do feel the benefits and have more energy, and often also sleep better that night too, so I feel a bit more rested in the morning. Try some HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) so that it can be over with really quickly, or jump on your exercise bike for twenty minutes if you have one.

Take regular breaks

If you can, try and have a little break from everything every so often throughout the day; take a quick lie down, or even have a nap if you can. Even a short nap can help you find a bit more energy to get you through the day and make you feel better. A decent mattress can also really help you to sleep better if you’re struggling, too, and will make those naps even nicer. Groupon have some really great mattress deals on right now.

If you don’t have the time or opportunity to have a nap, then try closing your eyes for a few minutes to give your eyes a rest, especially if you are on a computer a lot. Take a mini-break from work for a few minutes every hour or two to help you relax, have a cup of tea and a sit down.

Losing a night’s sleep or two is normal, especially if you’ve been feeling extra stressed. However, if the sleepless nights continue, it’s better to look into it. About 70 million people in the United States are diagnosed with a sleeping disorder. You could be one of them too.

Schedule an appointment with your doctor or a sleeping specialist to get diagnosed and receive treatment immediately. Some treatments, like sleep medication or the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, need a doctor’s prescription. The sooner you visit your doctor, the faster you can sleep well again.

I hope you enjoyed these tips to help you feel better when you haven’t had enough sleep and they help you if you are feeling really tired. I think when you feel exhausted and your entire body feels so heavy you just need to go easy on yourself, accept that today is a particularly bad one, and remember that tomorrow is a new day.

Do you have any tips for when you are feeling really tired? How do you make yourself feel better?

This is a collaborative post with Groupon.