AIBU to take the day off work because I've got no sleep at all?

[turkeyburgers]

I've been up all night with crap sleep. Would feel guilty for taking a sick day. AIBU to take it or call work and sleep a bit longer?

I suffer from Insomnia and have never taken a sick day to sleep (I have used flexi or Annual leave though - not sure if that's possible) or ask that you start later?
Sorry you're not sleeping, it's awful.

Personally, I wouldn't. I work long night shifts and I struggle on even if I have had a couple of hours over two days. It's hard but you'll manage.

I think it depends on your job and what your sick record is like. A brain surgeon with no sleep wouldn't be a good idea! I work in a shop so I'd just get on with it. My boss also wouldn't accept 'I've not slept' as an excuse not to go in'.

I work with machinery in the vicinity of others. I also drive the car that takes us out to jobs. I have in the past five years taken two days off due to lack of sleep. I have no idea how it was recorded I just told my boss I couldn't work safely and he accepted it. I probably wasn't paid.

Insomnia is horrible, I get it (why else would I be on Mumsnet at this time of the morning!) but unless you're an HGV driver or similar, I don't think it's something you can realistically take sick leave for. If I'm ever tempted by calling in sick I always think 'hang on, what if I wake later in the week with flu/stomach bug/migraine?'. And the thought of the inevitable meeting with HR to explain why I've called in sick twice in a week is enough to get me up and out.

Hope you sleep better tomorrow night though.

I will most likely not call in. I will be on phone all day helping with utilities so hopefully will still be able to produce decent work! Just knackered now!

You'll probably feel better after shower/coffee/breakfast. I've been awake since 3. Gave up trying to sleep 20 minutes ago so sat in bed with coffee and mumsnet!

I have severe insomnia so I do sympathise. But having said that, if you were doing something like driving or surgery; then yes, I would advise calling in.

Is this a long-term problem or a one-off? If a one-off, you'll be fine. If a long-term thing, talk to your GP.

I would and have. I have periodic boys of insomnia, and if I don't get to sleep until 6 30am and my alarm goes off at 7.30, there is no way I'm fit to drive and won't function. I don't have flexi days to take, but no point in trying to work.

Lots of variables; employer, job, drive or bus, reason, do you know if you'll hit a point where your eyes will close and that'll be it, how much sleep is bad sleep? 4/5 hours I'd go in, 1/2 no.

Not sleeping is brutal though hope you get some sleep soon. X

I think it depends on the job... I've had jobs that I absolutely loved and wouldn't have taken a sick day unless I was physically unable to work. I've had jobs that I hated where they treated me badly so I wouldn't think twice about calling in sick with a bit of a sniffle or if I'd been up all night.

Also depends on how much you need the job...

I'm an insomniac too. One of the things that I've found massively helpful mentally is finding out that your brain doesn't 'record' when you sleep. So if you're lying in bed all night (not on phones/reading etc just lying there) chances are you'll have been asleep for some of that time. That feeling you get when you look at the clock and time is speeding away till morning. That's why.

I'd probably not call in sick but I have taken half day annual leave before. Good luck, sleep deprivation is tough.

Not for one day of no sleep. Just get showered and get on with it. Go to bed as soon as you get home.

I regularly work on little to no sleep. It's awful but has to be done.

I love the sympathy on here. I’ve slept badly all week too.
If you feel terrible , phone in sick, only you know how you feel

Maybe by the time you need to get up, you’ll feel ok.
Husband snoring woke me
It’s better than it peas, when younger there was about 10 years of no sleep an his terrible snoring

Better than it was. Not peas*

Surely it depends on the job? If you are in a safety critical role or a job where you have people’s lives in your hand you cannot possibly work on no sleep.

Can you take annual leave? I've done it a few times in the past. And whenever I haven't all I did was go in, cock up everything I touch and spend the following day desperately putting it right.

I don't think it's a sick day type thing, no. I might consider booking annual leave if I really felt I wasn't up to going in, but that depends on the flexibility of your employer I guess.

As a mother I didn't have a night of unbroken sleep for years. It's good training.

If your job is low risk, off you go.

I think it depends on how well you function without sleep. If I get a couple fewer hours than normal, I am incredibly grumpy all day and likely to fall asleep in the afternoon. Other people seem to function fine with barely any sleep on a regular basis.

I would use flexi in these circs to work a half day or something.

But if I didn't have the option I wouldn't feel able to use sick leave.

for you, tiredness is rubbish but maybe your day will go better than you dear.

I think entirely reasonable.
There are sick leave provisions for a reason.
The evidence is that if you drive to work for instance then driving whilst sleep deprived is as bad as driving when drunk.

Isn't it strange that we have to force ourselves to do something, we likely don't want to do, while feeling like shit, and no one really cares, everyone accepts it and this is life! Wonder what other, nicer types of society we could have had. Just pondering.

I definately would if had no sleep as.I would feel.terrible and would not be able to function.

Yes I would and I have done. It. With no sleep I cannot function, most likely I would faint around lunchtime.

Luckily it happens rarely and since working from home I haven’t done it as I use the missing commute to catch another hour, sleep at lunch and I am able to do just the minimum work (working longer the next day to catch up).

For me it is stress related and I often can pinpoint that it will happen and can prepare.

sympathy. I have bouts of very severe insomnia and I'm a teacher where I"m on show all day. It is part of the reason I'm considering leaving teaching, although I otherwise like it. It's not for insomniacs.
I tend to feel better once I have just forced myself out of bed, into the shower and had a coffee. Depends how little sleep you've had and if it's gone on for several nights. If it's part of a long run, I might take a day off but try not to sleep during the day as you'll elongate the insomnia..