Okay, but seriously - do they?
I've been struggling with my sleep lately... my daughters have been getting up (again) about 3-4 times throughout the night; from 1am & on ... until about 6:30am.
& normally, I start my days at 5am (or, rarely, at 6am) so I get anywhere from 4.5 - 5 hours of sleep.
It has been tough when it gets to midday - my eyes will literally roll back from how exhausted I feel. & I try hard to push through without any major caffeine intake, occasionally I'll have a green tea or an earl grey. so again to say the least... it has been tough.
We all know that losing sleep is not good for the body; there's plenty of research linking poor sleep conditions to obesity, depression, heart disease, etc.
& we can't really put the blame on anyone, least we shouldn't!
so what can we do...
well I feel like part of it is mental, especially if we enjoy having control (especially over things we had some kind of control on in the past)... but obviously so many things in life are out of our hands.
know that you are not alone in this - you're not the only one out there who's kids are going through some kind of night terror or experiencing distractions from their surroundings or just wants some extra cuddle time (reassurance that you're still there).
YES... sleep is still very essential but don't become overwhelmed by the idea of getting 7-9hrs of sleep. Parenting is definitely not for the weak.
Do your best to increase your deep sleep by:
- relax & manage stress
- avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol
- stick to those sleep schedules (bedtime & "official" wake up time)
- keep a comfortable bedroom
so just like with everything else in life - keep pushing forward, & stick to your routines as best as you can.
sleep deprivation may become "normal" at one point, but that means some day again so will feeling rested (life is a literal rollercoaster ride)
for now build on those new wind down techniques - take magnesium, drink chamomile tea, avoid your phone, be patient...
oh & personally, I have noticed that if my kids get up at 4am then I'll gladly go back to sleep until 5am, cause I'll get some kind of short sleep cycle in. But if they're up at 4:30am then that's when my day starts.
From trial and error, I have learned that I feel rested after being woken up & still getting 1 extra random hour of sleep vs just an extra 30 minutes.
Take everything as a learning experience, as dramatic as it sounds... we will survive.
- SOWO Gonz
REMINDER:
Go prioritize yourself:
Your physical health matters.
Your mental health matters.
Your emotional health matters.
YOU MATTER.
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