Who hasn't stayed up for stupid reasons? Because the tv was on, or the stove wasn't clean yet, or the blog wasn't written yet. I've even stayed up for good-sometimes what could be termed saintly-reasons. Packing for hospital trips, massaging Hubbend's poor stressed back, doing laundry so miss THANG can be all Pink for the day.
In life we have so many things that are beyond control.
One thing that I don't have control of is the night. Something about those witching hours of 2 AM to 5 AM brings out the worst in my family. Chickadee and her late night concerts, Beansprout and his boney-at times paranoid-perpendicular body, miss THANG and odd emergencies that tend to happen the same time as the others.
Even Hubbend plays along. He tosses and turns. Or he cuddles. I'm not a cuddler. I've worked very hard. Like this:
Regardless, I'm sure that you in all aspects of life can relate. Be it yowling cats in the night, or roommates coming in at 3 AM. Again, witching. Such people should be disciplined. Disturbing precious sleep. The nerve of it all. Believe me, it does NOT get easier, nor does it EVER go away.
So my question is, what do you do? I get up and at 'em at all costs. Unless one of the following is true:
- My eyeballs feel like they're going to burn through the back of my sockets
- I've spent half the night fighting off some sort of my own personal mania or anxiety (not a child or spouse's)
- This is the third night with little sleep
How do you handle an interrupted night's sleep?
I don't handle them well. At all. In my current incarnation as an empty nester the only late night disruptions tend to be the dog when he gets dyspeptic, or my husband just wanting to be all up close. I hate all up close unless there are other shenanigans a'brewin'.
ReplyDeleteMy most common remedy is to go downstairs and get on the couch. Turn on mindless TV and I'm back asleep in no time!
Im laughing because even before seeing what Leslie said my answer was NOT WELL. NOT WELL AT ALL.
ReplyDeleteSorry to double dip, but was looking at Roni's pics from Fitblogggin' yesterday and trying to identify the mysterious JBS! I was looking for tall, but the sitting and standing masses obscured the tails of the bell shaped curve!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are making me laugh. I forgot to turn on the monitor for Chickadee last night. Twinge of guilt and twinge of happy. Not sure which makes me feel worse! He he.
ReplyDeleteI sleep like a log. It would take a tornado to wake me up! Sometimes my 10yo son wakes me up because he needs to go to the loo but is too scared. So i go with him, but don't even open my eyes, and i'm asleep again before my head hits the pillow again.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how i'm going to cope with a new baby in the house. He better learn to get up and make his own bottle real quick! lol
I can't sleep late, regardless of how bad my night was. But I do like to take naps sometimes:) I have taken to warning my husband when I am very tired and grouchy.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some great shut eye soon.
Ha...you know what's weird? You and I have blogs that are very similar today! You must read mine. Of course...yours was so nice and all :) Anyways..I just try to get as much sleep as possible and continue on the next day as normal. Some days are easier than others!
ReplyDeleteMost times I let the hubby deal with it. I feel a little guilty, but I know the kids are in good hands, and hubby can only be annoyed at me for soo long, right? It helps that he sleeps in the bedroom upstairs close to them and can't stand the screaming (and I cant stand his snoring, which is why he is upstairs :)
ReplyDelete@CactusFreek- I am so jealous. I've always be a high-strung sleeper. Imagine a robot left on. That's how I feel sometimes.
ReplyDelete@WaistingTime- I can't either. I love me a nap too. My whole family knows to watch out. Sometimes it's terrible. Others it's kinda nice.
I am trying to adjust to the reality of Chickadee. We'll figure something out.
@Corletta-I'm so excited to read your blog. Normal is what I try to do, and you're right. Some days ARE easier than others.
@Holistic Health Coach-Tri Mom- I make a deliberate decision each night now. It's whether it's my turn or not. Something about 30 months of uncertain sleep has made possible. I don't even wake up when it's his turn. THAT is really saying something.
Peri-menopause and a light sleeping husband gave me so many interrupted nights of sleep that my doctor's response to the luggage under my eyes was "Here's a prescription for Ambien. If you don't sleep for 3 nights take a pill for goodness sake!" I don't have little ones though so it makes it easier for me to do that. Still, I usually get up and exercise and then go to work and sit at my desk all day wishing I could be home sleeping.
ReplyDeleteMom's are supposed to sleep? Miss the memo on that...lol.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest child (13) came in my room in the middle of the night FOREVER. Instantly I'm standing functioning quite well for a zombie. Husband...still sawing logs!
Plus once I find it impossible to sleep through the slightest little noise. Ummm....God....did you equip mothers with a little switch that goes off at childbirth, so they can hear every mundane noise?? Ummmmm.....Why???
You are so funny....PastaQueen didn't talk about me, Silly. It was another Fatty McButterpants. Not sure if we are related...lol
ReplyDeleteI am not aq good sleeper lately. I do like to go to bed early and get up early. Lately though I have waking up at 3:30/4 am. That is just too damn early. I get up and make use of the time. Otherwise I will drive myself crazy trying to back to sleep.
I have found I can function on alot less sleep then I thought I "needed". Moms with young kids need all the sleep you can get!
When my kids were little I just got up as usual and chugged through the day as best I could.
ReplyDeleteIf we could take a nap later in the day sometimes we did.
I still get up as usual if I have had a bad night and try to make the best of the day and get to bed early if I can.
Menopause, night sweats, college kids coming in late and hubby all are reasons that I don't sleep so good some nights.
We also have a sleep CD that helps to get me back to sleep.
Luckily I don't have pesky lil minihumans to deal with, but I do have a new kitty who likes to get into whatever she can at night, friends who don't mind texting me at all hours, and downstairs neighbors who fight loud enough for the whole building to hear.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I can be a pretty heavy sleeper, but when that isn't enough there is always Tylenol PM or Nyquil. is that bad? :-P
I currently share your sleep situation. If it's not Baby, it's Snoopy. Or a cat or a dog. My husband travels so if he is gone I am instantly awake at the slightest sound. My work outs are always in the evening now. I shower at night & dry my hair with product in it so I just have to curl or flat iron in the morning depending on which directions it's standing when I get up. =)
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is going to sound funny, but I play categories. I pick a category then go through the alphabet. Lately I've been using empowering or positive words, or words that I want to describe my health and life:
ReplyDeleteA - awesome
B - bountiful
C- calm, cool, collected
D - delightful
E - endless
F - FABU!
You get the idea...and when I get to K I always think "Karen" LOL Oh, and I focus on my breathing too. I try and take a deep breath in when I think of each word.
MOST of the time, I fall asleep before I reach Z. If I don't I pick another category and start again.
I get up, take a melatonin tablet and get back in bed. It works about 90% of the time.
ReplyDeleteWell, considering last night was the 5th night in a row that I've had some early morning escapades, I can say I'm not really handling it well. I fell asleep with my two kids playing right next to me after lunch today (until I got poked and yelled at to WAKE UP, MOMMY!!)
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm counting the minutes until they go to bed so I can go to bed! And praying that tonight all will sleep well...
There are a few things I do. Sometimes watching an episode of something I like on TV is enough. Reading also works sometimes. On occasion, I'll even try to (in my mind) walk through my entire elementary school end to end. I don't usually make it halfway through the school.
ReplyDeleteWell, with 7 kids you can imagine how our nights sometimes go. I'm so programmed to get up that even if I haven't gotten good sleep I tend to just get up and exercise anyway. It's not always fun to be around me that afternoon though . . . .
ReplyDelete