How to Get Through the Day After a Sleepless Night

Whether I’m experiencing pain flare-up from my ankylosing spondylitis arthritis or simply ruminating over all of the responsibilities of adulthood, sleepless nights can really dampen my whole day – and, my family's day as well.

I use to believe that a bad night of sleep would automatically ruin my WHOLE day, and after nearly 2 decades of struggling with mainly pain-based insomnia (painsomnia) – I’ve learned this is not the case. When we give ourselves some grace, we can still take charge, and turn our day and our moods around, even if we are tired.

My tools for daytime coping

To be able to not lose an entire day to insomnias' awful ways, I have given myself numerous tools. This helps keep me from getting on the pity party bus.

One practice I’ve instilled that has been so helpful with getting past the 3:00 PM crash is taking a nap, even if I don’t want to. This isn’t something I can or need to do every day. But on days when I’m completely exhausted from nighttime insomnia, I let myself say yes to a nap and I usually feel much better!

I know the thought of trying to take a nap during the day seems impossible; but, sometimes after a night of pain and exhaustion, 1 hour of sleep can make getting through the day a little easier. Also, I know being a mom of 2 young kids, a nap can be a hard thing to allow for yourself. Giving myself some self-compassion around naps has changed my life!

Understanding my relationship with coffee

Then enters caffeine – my love and hate for it.  I love coffee so much but recently I made some huge changes in my caffeine consumption. For me, this is something that took years of battling to figure out. How I could keep caffeine at bay, but still manage life?

Like many other people, coffee is a big part of my culture and community. Did I mention I just love it? As a mom of 2 small children, caffeine has always been the answer to get me moving out of bed after nighttime feedings. However, after discovering the many autoimmune diseases that have popped up over the last few years, caffeine naturally took a back seat. Also, I found my stomach much happier and sometimes even sleeping through the night!

Now when I crave a coffee, I check in with myself: Do I want a delicious cup of coffee with a friend? Or, do I just need energy? If it’s the energy I need, I think about other ways to implement that first, and then check in again.

Being more conscious of what I need helps me make better choices all around – and that usually leads to a night of better sleep!

Managing life's expectations with kindness and compassion

Lastly, it is incredibly difficult to manage all the expectations of life, even on the best of days. When we add in pain, trauma, and insomnia, it can feel very difficult to get through the day. So know this: If you are struggling to get through the day, you are doing your best, and that’s amazing!

Remember to give yourself some kindness and compassion!

Tell me, what daytime coping ideas help you get through the day after a sleepless night?