My kids have both been terrible sleepers, they are now 7 and 3. We have tried so hard to be strict, we have a nightly routine that we rarely deviate from. We've tried every 'intervention possible' making sure we give everything a chance to get established. We have success for a day or two and then it goes back to being bad again. they are lovely kids in the daytime although very tired.
DD(7) claims to have 'nightmares in her head' when she tries to go to sleep and becomes really hysterical and wakes up/keeps awake DS. DS generally goes to sleep but is prone to waking up for an hour in the night and shouting really loudly for us or coming in our bed.
It's got to the point where DH is sleeping in the spare room more often than not (as he works long hours), I have given up my job as can't cope with lack of sleep. Our physical relationship is suffering. The sleep deprivation and lack of mental space is making us both really angry and we have resorted to shouting to get the kids to go back to bed and stay asleep.
It feels like we are at a crunch point, my DD announced to another Mum at school that I had shouted 'shut up' at her - which I did after hours of messing about at bed time and making so much noise I thought she would wake DS up. It made me feel dreadful. I am losing my temper all the time. I can't understand how we have got here. Both DH and I were apparently bad sleepers as children.
Has anyone got any ideas? I feel like the shittest parent on the planet right now. Would just completely refusing to acknowledge them (apart from illness or a really genuine nightmare) after 7pm work?
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just can't cope anymore
lavesh · 21/03/2014 10:19
Sleep detoxifies your brain so as crazy as it sounds you do actually go a bit mad with prolonged sleep deprivation.
Ive done a little reading recently 
And no you're definitely not alone.
My daughter also has come to realise her mother is not a raving loony and realises there is a difference in me when I'm tired. She is old enough to be sensitive to things like this thankfully as she is almost a teenager. He sisters are babies so a little different there.
I find massage helps but then I need everyone from me for a bit afterwards to recharge and enjoy my bubble of serenity. I don't know if you're able to have that space - I have to demand it sometimes as we have babies everywhere at the moment. I don't know how possible a day in a therapy room is for you but it absolutely makes a difference to me as it enables me to relax. I mean a proper therapeutic massage though for aches and pains and all the rest not flouncing around a day spa type massage 
Each to their own however but this is what greatly helps me as if I'm not functioning on a physical level it all goes to bits.
Failing that I live in hot baths with all sorts of oils promising deep sleep and relation in sheer desperation!
As long as your rested and relaxed it all falls into place so whatever you need to do to get there do it.
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