Help me get through this day - tiredness

[squirrelnutkin23]

Had a really bad night last night. Foolishly decided to have a few glasses of wine and I dont know if it was this or something else but I woke up about an hour after I went to bed with racing heart, anxiety and unable to sleep. Then just as I thought I might get back to sleep our toddler woke up, came in our bed and spent the next few hours kicking and poking me. Once she dropped off dh began snoring like a hog. I think I eventually nodded off about 45 minutes before the alarm went off. I feel awful.

I've got a really busy day today. Supposed to be driving out to meet a friend and her dd which has already been rearranged twice so don't want to miss it, then going out for a meal and drinks with colleagues tonight. Can't really cancel either.

Any tips on how to function and thrive on so little sleep?!

I don’t know but sympathies as I’m in the same boat

No alcohol but I’m sleeping terribly at the moment. I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.

a really busy day but no work by the sounds of it

your friend for lunch… i wouldn’t want a friend driving if she was exhausted so suggest you do lunch and she come to you

and meal and drinks… you’ll be fine

if you have a toddler, surely you’ve had quite a bit of experience of operating on limited tiredness?!

No work today thankfully but solo parenting a toddler and picking two bigger ones up from school later. Dh at work all day.

Cold shower helps me.

I've had 3, the first two were absolute dreams. Never really had sleep deprivation other than the newborn stages and the odd night of illness. The third is a different story but even though she wakes up a lot and wants to co sleep she's usually pretty settled once she's in with us. Last night it was a combination of factors which just led to me having no more than about 2-3 broken hours.

OP i was on your drinking thread. You were urges to give it up then. Surely this supports that advice even more?

Any chance you could doze for a bit this morning whilst your toddler watches tv?

You should not be driving today.

Do you mean the weight loss thread? Yes I think you have a point. Why would I keep doing something that makes me fat, tired and miserable? I'm certain there'll be an expectation to drink tonight too but I don't think I will.

knock the drinking on the head

have your friend to you and say you’ll put on lunch.

tonight… go but don’t drink and leave after the dinner

yes but it turned in to a drinking thread!

A rule of thumb that drinking has become a problem is if it starts making you change your plans in life.
So - you planned lunch, you may have to cancel now due to drinking after effects.
But you also now plan not to drink tonight - but will you? That would also be a change of plan.
A few glasses of wine a week might not seem a lot, but it’s the impact it has on you and your life. Is it worth it?

good post

It's not the after effects of drinking it's lack of sleep. Which yes was slightly impacted by drinking but more so by my toddler and dh!

But I do see your point and I've been thinking this for a while now. 'Only 2 glasses' doesn't sound a lot but when it's disrupting sleep and making me put on weight then it's probably time to re evaluate. I never go out (tonight is the first time in about a year which is why I'm reluctant to cancel) so drinking at home a few nights a week has become somewhat of a relaxing treat. But it's not a treat when I feel like this after.

Please let's not make this a drinking thread though, it's not all down to that!

Cold shower. Usually I'd say couple of cups of strong coffee but if you're prone to anxiety/palpitations probably not a good idea!

Can you drive tonight if you're trying to avoid alcohol?

Edited because I've nfi what 'string coffee ' is

Cancel both events neither are critical! Then work on your drinking, it sounds like.

Oh here we go 🙈

There's no way I'd cancel anything to stay at home with a toddler when feeling tired btw @squirrelnutkin23 - they'll become subjectively more hyper and you'll be quicker to get irritated. Getting out of the house definitely helps. If you're worried about driving tired though get your friend to come to you and go out for some fresh air.

Is there any way you can have a quick 30 min power nap? It always revives me if I've had only a small amount of sleep. Even if you just lie down and close your eyes and relax.

Strong cup of tea, splash face with cold water, go outside for short walk with DC and blast yourself with fresh air,
positively look forward to the day:you have a family, you have friends - enjoy all that comes your way today. Short power nap if you can then leave after meal for decent night’s sleep. Good luck OP

well you might not like the style it’s written in

but same advice as on your other thread and sounds sensible to me 🤷‍♀️

It's not the after effects of drinking it's lack of sleep.

the two are very much linked

Sorry, OP, I don't want to annoy you and make you not listen. I only agree with others upthread.

It sounds like you've been rather lucky in getting through three children without serious sleep deprivation so far. I said on a baby thread the other day that with my first I could go a week with literally 2 hours of sleep so it was extreme for us, and they did tend to be not sleeping toddlers too.

When I was back at work with toddlers at home, or when I was on leave with older kid/baby/toddler and school runs etc, I think I drank absolutely nothing. Not because it was some smug abstaining, but because I couldn't fit it in. I didn't have the hours to recover or to lack sleep through my own reasons, nor to feel too rough to function on no sleep, I couldn't choose to not function. I didn't go to the gym either, or sit in the bath with a facemask, or binge watch box sets. Those discretionary treats for me simply could not be prioritised for a while.

I am if anything impressed that you can drink a glass or so at home and still be functional with the tiredness of young kids, it's like being in training for a marathon! But if you can't be functional, then that's the only solution- just don't drink for a couple of years.

Just going for a walk in the buggy. It's sunny but cold here so I think the fresh air will do us good.

There was some excellent advice on the other thread @notjustthe but I feel like in general MN is very anti alcohol and if you admit to being tired or having a hangover or drinking a thimble full of wine more than once a week people immediately try to tell you you have a problem.

I don't drink excessively however I can see it's interfering with my goals to lose weight and it's also a contributing factor as to why I feel crap today. So in that respect I'm happy to take accountability and think about my drinking. I will drive tonight so I can hopefully get a better nights rest tonight.

But this isn't a drinking thread. It's a being tired as fuck thread.