From Flop to Fab, How Sleep Changes EVERYTHING!

I might be the self proclaimed “muddling through mom”, but that doesn’t mean I don’t strive for those truly meaningful surprises. In order to do so, burning the midnight oil from time to time has become a necessity. How else would the baby books get caught up? The Christmas presents get wrapped? Or the birthday cakes get made…

Yes, it was one particular birthday cake however, that made me question my whole approach. This cake was for a four year old with a January birthday. You know how January birthdays ride off the coattails of Christmas get togethers (when everyone is too tired from the holidays to brave the icy roads to come to a kids’ party)? The birthdays where everyone shows up with presents in Christmas wrapping paper, because… it's easier. The birthdays where your child really needs to be made to feel special and you designate yourself just the superhero to make it happen.

Well, this superhero (me, remember) decided to make a hot chocolate flavored bundt cake after everyone went to bed. I would decorate it with dinosaur figurines to match the theme of the party. It would be such a great surprise for a January birthday girl currently obsessed with becoming a paleontologist. 

​Everything was working out wonderfully. That is until the bundt cake refused to release from the pan, spiraling me into panic mode. I was tired. Stores were closed. How would I ever fix this crumbled cake mess that sat on the counter in front of me? In 10 hours my house would be filled with party guests.  

​What did I do?

Nothing. I covered that mess up with a glass cake dome and slid it to the back of the counter. Deciding sleep was more important. I set my alarm for before everyone would be awake the next morning. 

In the morning, I woke up rested with a plan. I’d crumble that cake up even more, layer it in a trifle dish with frosting, dust the layers with hot chocolate powder and hide the dinosaurs in the cake. YES! All wasn’t lost, in fact this cake had just turned into a party game of sorts. After cake and ice cream we would find out who’s archeological dig was the most successful.

​Sleep is so important. Often as humans, we underestimate the power of sleep. Our thinking suffers, our mood suffers, our productivity suffers and ultimately our bodies suffer the consequences. Here at IFM, our providers know how crucial sleep is. That’s why our primary care and mental health providers, as well as our health coach will ask you about your sleep. If your sleep is suffering, we have a lot of non-pharmacologic options to offer you to help you get the Z’s you need. That’s the beauty of our integrative approach. You talk, we listen, then we create a plan together, and get you to optimal wellness. 

Sara Lynn, RN, BSN

“If you don’t invest in your health, no one else will.”