Overview: Are you tired? Check out these 8 tips for a tired homeschool mom. Believe it or not, you CAN feel refreshed! Find out how!
Parenthood is hard work! Add homeschooling to the mix and us moms definitely have our hands full. So it makes sense that you will be tired from time to time.
However, if you find yourself tired all the time, or just plain exhausted, then there are some things you can try to give yourself more energy.
Here are 8 Tips for a Tired Homeschool Mom:
1 – Sleep
Are you sleeping well?!? Sleep is important! It’s important for our kids and it’s important for us. I’ve entered a stage of life where I’m not sleeping as well and it has made a huge impact on my energy during the day.
In order to get some sleep, I resorted to taking a sleep aid for a while until I read a study which said that taking that sleep aid for an extended period of time puts me more at risk for developing dementia!
Now, I take Valerian Root, and Chelated Magnesium before going to bed. My doctor said that these were all good choices but that if I still struggled with sleeping after a few weeks that there are things she can prescribe which would be better for me than the over-the-counter sleep aid I was taking before. Fortunately, these supplements have helped me and I didn’t have to resort to taking prescription medication.
Do some research, check with your doctor, and do whatever you can to get your sleeping in order. This will have one of the biggest impacts on your energy level during the day!
2 – Food
Are you eating right? This is a hard one for busy moms. We’re focused so much on our families that sometimes we don’t do what’s best for ourselves.
Lots of moms grab something quick instead of making wise choices at meal times. Or even worse, sometimes we skip meals altogether!
We need good food to fuel our bodies. I have learned this lesson the hard way over and over. Opting for healthy meals and snacks has a positive impact on how I feel. Junk food tastes good in my mouth but it doesn’t feel good in my stomach. Our kids need healthy food and so do we!
3 – Multivitamin
It’s pretty much impossible to get all of the nutrients our body needs throughout the day through food. Taking a quality multivitamin is a simple way to be sure you’re fueling your body properly.
4 – Supplements
There are lots of supplements which can help you feel more energetic throughout the day.
- Vitamin D – Living in Michigan, there are times of the year when it’s very cloudy and we don’t get to see much of the sun. Taking Vitamin D during these times definitely helps to counteract my lethargy.
- Chelated Magnesium – This is required for over 300 biochemical reactions throughout the day including turning glucose into energy. If you’re feeling tired, you may have a slight magnesium deficiency. Women need 300mg a day and men need 350mg.
- Ashwagandha – I feel SO MUCH BETTER since starting to take this! It is an Adaptogenic herb, as it helps the body cope and adapt to various stresses that occur in daily life. helps to support a healthy stress response, maintain healthy cortisol levels, support a positive mood, and memory.
- L-Tyrosine – This is an amino acid which can help to counteract stress. If you’re feeling stressed on a regular basis, you will also feel tired because your body has a finite amount of chemicals which help us to combat it. L-Tyrosine produces adrenaline and dopamine which helps to protect us from stress.
Again, check with your doctor if you want to add supplements to your diet. She may have some great ideas for you to try for your specific situation.
5 – Drink water
Did you know that if you are slightly dehydrated, that will make you feel lethargic? Drink a tall, cool glass of water and see if your energy level picks up. Our bodies require a lot more water than they usually get.
Aim to drink half as many ounces as the number of pounds you weigh. For example, if you weigh 150lbs then attempt to drink 75oz of water each day.
6 – Check with your doctor
If you’re tired in the morning even after a good night’s sleep, check with your doctor. She can do a simple blood test to see if your thyroid is functioning properly and to check for anemia.
Thyroid function often goes down after childbirth and also during perimenopause. I have hypothyroidism and I’m very grateful for the medication which helps me to be less tired!
7 – Exercise
Yes, exercise helps us all to feel more energetic. I’m not advocating crazy amounts of exercise but taking a 20 or 30-minute walk every day or so will help to increase your energy level.
I have gotten out of the habit of taking walks this winter and I definitely feel the difference.
8 – Take time for yourself
When moms are busy, we tend to drop all of the healthy habits we’re doing to maintain our health and well being. As homeschoolers, we’re often so focused on our kids and on their education that we rarely make any time for activities that we enjoy.
It’s important to carve out a little bit of time so that you can read a book for pleasure, paint a picture, go for a walk, take a bubble bath, or engage in some other leisure activity which can help you to recharge your batteries.
This is especially important if you are an introvert! Ask your spouse or a close friend to help keep you accountable in this area. They often know we’re struggling in this area before we do.
My big tip with this is to have a list of things created in advance that help you recharge. It can be hard to come up with these ideas when we need them most.
Feeling tired is a normal part of parenthood – but it shouldn’t be debilitating. With these tips, you’ll have increased energy and feel like your usual self in a short period.
Question: How about you? Are there any suggestions you can offer for staying energized throughout the day? Please leave a comment below.
Thanks, I am really focussing on this issue at the moment! Not easy, especially when you are starting out HS… it is definitely easy to push your own health do the bottom of the to-do list… and thanks, you’ve reminded me I’ve been meaning to take my magnesium for a while now! 🙂
Yes, it’s way too easy to forget about taking care of ourselves… I need constant reminders as well. Hope the magnesium helps you, Mairi! 🙂
Sometimes it helps just hearing that others face the same situation.It makes me tired just thinking about being over 50 and homeschooling for over 23 years but God has been so good to me through it all! So many of your suggestions are part of my lifestyle. Enjoy your articles. Have only been homeschooling boys for seven years when we adopted.
Wow, 23 years of homeschooling?!? You’re an inspiration to me for sure! Yes, it is nice to know that what we’re experiencing is normal, isn’t it?!?
Bless you Linda, you give me hope! And thank you, Michelle, for this article. I also enjoy your articles and needed this one! Since I gave birth to our fourth precious little guy a year and a half ago my energy level has plummeted. I turned 40 this year and attributed my fatigue to my age. However, reading this article has made me realize that I’m not as faithful in excersizing and drinking adequate water as I used to be. 🙁 Something to work on!
I’m also wondering if anyone has tips on better sleep if your husband works nights. I have a very hard time going to sleep when my husband works nights, hearing every little sound etc. I usually end up staying up too late and being exhausted the next day. Translation: short-tempered and thinking impaired :/
Do the above supplements help you go to sleep, or just to get better sleep once you’re asleep?
Thanks again Michelle!!
It’s easy to let things slide a little bit in the health department, isn’t it?!? Especially when it comes to our own health. Glad I was able to give you a little nudge. I’m also working on remembering these same things for myself!
As for sleeping at night while your husband is gone, have you thought about sleeping with a fan? Or a noise cancelling machine? It’s hard for me to sleep when my husband is gone so I can completely empathize…
And the sleeping supplements I mentioned to you are supposed to help you stay asleep… I think. Although, so far I’m still having to take a little bit of my sleep aid to stay asleep through the night. I think it depends on why you aren’t sleeping. My doctor did say that if these supplements don’t work on their own, she can prescribe something which will be safe and will help me to sleep. I want to try the supplements first, though, before I would start taking another medicine.
Do you also struggle to sleep? My best friend and I often compare notes and are amazed at how much WORK it is to get a good night’s rest! LOL
I find I start to drag after lunch time. I think I get enough sleep, but I am sure my Vitamin D is low. I am working on eating better and exercising more (although all this snow is making it hard!) I definitely need to drink more water! Thanks for the reminder.
My kids are older, so when I really start to drag, I can take myself off for a short (1/2 hour) nap. Usually that is all I need to get my energy back. I may not even fall asleep, but it’s enough of a rest to make a difference.
My husband has to travel a bit for work. I would have the same problem as Dana where I would keep myself awake listening to all the house noises. Or, to avoid that, I would stay up so late that when I did go to bed I could fall right to sleep (why is it that husbands can do that no matter what?). Anyway, I have been having better luck getting to sleep lately by: stopping caffeine in the afternoon (I always used to say it didn’t effect me), and by reading before bed time rather than watching TV or using the computer.
Thanks for letting me know I am not alone!
Sarah
Caffeine! Yes, that is definitely a culprit for robbing us from having a good sleep. I used to think that caffeine didn’t affect me, either… but that’s just because I was drinking so much of it. I used to drink Cherry Coke all day long. I LOVED it! I could hardly function without it. I gave it up a few years back and I feel so much better without it. No pop for me anymore!
I do drink a few glasses of tea in the morning – but like you, I don’t drink any after Noon. Great comment. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
All great tips! I always make sure I get in my daily dose of vitamins, especially a good dose of D3 and a B Complex, along with drinking a lot water…it definitely makes a difference. Magnesium also works really well when taken before bed. I hope it works out for you, too! Number 8 on your list (Take time for yourself) is definitely one that I don’t do nearly enough of, lol! 🙂
I think many of us struggle with #8! LOL
I love this article. I definitely agree that making a few minutes for things that nourish our soul is so essential. One thing that energizes me during the day is turning on some upbeat music. The kids always love it and we’ll spend a few minutes picking up the house or getting those chores done. It definitely makes cooking dinner much better! The right music lifts my mood, maybe makes me start to dance a little, and can change my attitude.
Great suggestion, Jamilyn! Yes, music has such a wonderful way of either soothing our soul or lifting our spirits… depending on what is needed at the time!!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.