How A Millennial Mother Gets Her Sleep
Sarah Forbes is a curator + sexual culturalist + author. Dubbed a “sexpert supreme” by Cosmopolitan Magazine, her memoir, “Sex in the Museum” is based on her decade as the Curator of the Museum of Sex in New York. Trained as an anthropologist, Sarah is writing her second book, “Mama Sex,” an anthropological look at motherhood and sexuality. With a focus on sexuality, gender and history, Sarah has been a featured expert everywhere from the New York Times to The Today Show.
www.mamasexbook.comInsta: @mamasexbook @curatorofsex
1 Tell us why sleep is important, what are the health benefits of sleep to you?
Without sleep — the real, deep, meaningful sleep I feel like I hardly get as a mom— I know I’m not achieving my full potential. I feel it in my energy levels (physically and mentally), I see it in my patience levels, and I see it in how I look and how I feel about how I look. And since under eye concealer is the main weapon in my makeup bag, I know I definitely don’t get enough of it.
2. Is sleep a topic that comes up with friends, family or the audience in your line of work? What are the issues that come up? What advice if any would you offer?
Sleep is recommended as the fix all for everything. But it’s not that easy to get the best sleep because life gets in the way. Sometimes I get stressed when I have so much on my mind and I know the clock is ticking…I know how hard the next day will be. I try to tell myself that even if I just “rest” rather than sleep, its still good for me.
3. Do you have a sleep routine – how do you enhance your chances of a glorious, restful night’s sleep?
If I’m honest, I have what many people would describe a very unhealthy sleep routine, because it involves a lot of late night Instagram scrolling (though I do turn the light levels as low as possible). But late night is the only time my house is quiet and I’m also naturally a night owl…I need the escapism of the platform to help me destress from the day. I like following travel and design platforms rather than friends, so my late night scrolling feels less emotional.
I’ve recently started taking CBD before the nightly insta scroll and I do think its helping me achieve that deeper level sleep I haven’t enjoyed in a long time. I’m actually dreaming again.
4. What is your favorite sleep accessory ?
I really like a big fluffy duvet and pillows. I’m also a big believer in nice pjs. My preference is something “silky” either a nightgown or a short/cami combo. I’ve threw out all the oversized t-shirts once I was done nursing my children and I really think it makes a difference in how I feel about getting into bed at night.