Yes, new puppies are very, very cute. But If you have ever trained a new puppy on their house-manners, you know just how much it can interrupt your normal sleeping patterns. The pup may be barking, whining, scratching on the door, or just rough-housing loudly with their toys.
Either way, it can be a major challenge to your normal sleep patterns to try and raise a new puppy. Here are some thoughts, tips, and tricks which may ease your way. From newborn pup, to fully trained canine companion, here are a few ways to get some sleep along the way.
When puppies are young, they can sleep at sporadic times during the day. Often, like newborn babies, their sleep can consist of long naps during the day, and sporadic sleep periods at night. And just like newborn babies, sleep training begins by developing and establishing a thoughtful and effective sleep routine.
These changes may not necessarily work immediately, but the overall goal is to develop a series of reliable cues that signal to the puppy that it is time for sleep.
An ideal sleep environment can make a big difference. Think through the details that make up your puppy's sleep environment and make adjustments if needed. Create an environment that encourages calming behaviors and discourages wake-time behaviors.
Thinking through the sleep environment for your puppy is one powerful step you can take towards your puppy getting quality sleep, even while training.
Once you have thought through your puppy's sleep environment, it's your turn. Thinking through your sleep environment is just as important as thinking through your pups, and it can be an eye-opening experience.
Blackout Curtains
To make the bedroom nice and dark during sleep, few things beat the light-blocking ability of blackout curtains. They really help reduce the amount of artificial light in your sleep environment.
Aromatherapy
Research has shown that having essential oils diffused in the bedroom can facilitate increased relaxation and better sleep. Try it yourself: put a few drops of lavender oil on a cloth in your room, or even on the blades of your fan. Lavender is a great choice, but there are lots of options to facilitate relaxation and peace in the sleeping environment:
Another option for using aromatherapy to improve sleep, is to try burning some incense in the house a few hours before sleep. Creating a nightly routine with aroma can have a positive impact on sleep quality.
Use a Dimmer on Your Screen
Many options are available for reducing the blue-light exposure from screens. A simple search of “blue light blocker” or “blue light filter” will give you access to many apps that would work for your smartphone. Similarly, there are many options for tablets, laptops, TVs, and most other blue-light sources in your life.
Zero Artificial Lights
Our bodies have photoreceptive sensors in multiple areas, including our skin. Reducing the artificial light to zero in your room is an easy way to ensure that your body’s photoreceptors are receiving the message: it is night-time, and time to sleep.
Avoid Screen-Time before Bed
This is another way to reduce blue-light exposure before bed. If the screen dimming and blue-light filters aren’t working for you, then a cut and dry method is just to eliminate screen time before bed. Some people eliminate screens several hours before bed. It can look like reading a physical book instead of reading on your smart tablet. It could mean playing a card game instead of watching TV. This method may be a bit more difficult, depending on your screen time routines, but it would definitely eliminate blue-light exposure and reduce the negative impact that blue-light has in the evening on your internal sleep rhythms.
By taking the time to really consider your puppy's sleep routine, sleep environment, as well as your own sleep hygiene, you can take meaningful steps toward improved sleep. Not just for your puppy, but for you as well. Training a puppy is a lot of work, and setting yourself up for quality sleep is an easy way to begin on the right foot.