Top tips for enduring long term sleep deprivation?

[WearyWalker]

This is my first post, so sorry if get things wrong/go on too long. Just wondered what ways MNers have come up with for getting through those days when you're so tired the ground seems to be going up and down...

I have two DSs who were terrible sleepers, though now much better (aged 7 and 9), and a 16 week old DD, who is following in her brothers' up-all-night footsteps. I had PND with DSs (hence the big age gap), and although I'm feeling OK, I'm sooo tired. I'm not trying to 'fix' her sleeping - with my DSs I found that it made me feel even more desperate when nothing I did made any difference - and I know things will get better as she gets older.

So... I just need to get through a few more months (years?!) of sleep deprivation, and would be really grateful for any ideas. I try to get outside for a bit every day, but other than that my main coping strategy is eating whole packets of biscuits and letting DSs go on the PS3 for way too long, neither of which make me feel very good about myself! Any thoughts? Thank you.

[WearyWalker]

Actually, now you mention it, one of my neighbours did offer that and I said oh no, don't worry - out of habit really, and now it occurs to me that I really should take her up on it. It's so easy to just 'manage', when you could just shout 'heeeeeelp!!'...

I've also found out a lot of our problems are because dd has reflux - hadn't really put it all together before, but she basically has every symptom of it, poor girl. Not sure that it changes anything, but good to have something to say when my mil asks why she's still not sleeping through

[targaryen24]

My DS is 2 and still wakes at night (though I've trained him to at least stay in bed).

It's partly because he has clubfoot (so wears what looks like a metal skateboard with boots attached at night). Having one of those weeks right now where we've both been ill for ages (just a winter cold) so he's not worn his bar in a while and is now being doubly re-trained.

He'll wear it til he's 4 so think I'll just be tired til then but you never know :P

You should definitely take your neighbour up on that offer btw

[jann2013]

bump! feel like this is never going to end & don't know how to keep up with my life while im so exhausted its affecting everything

[monkeymamma]

Reading with interest as ds 12m has never slept through and I'm back at work pt from today so things should be interesting.
Very interested to hear about support available through the nhs and will definitely ask about that. I'm a bit annoyed that it hasn't been suggested by our GP given that I've been in about various minor health problems of my own mainly due to being run down (persistent tonsilitis etc) and always tell them that we're not getting any sleep. But GP does have a toddler of his own so perhaps he was too sleep deprived himself to think of it, lol.

[jann2013]

I never heard about this either even though i have mentioned loads of times to the hv that im not getting sleep... she has been out twice because of it, and is coming out this friday, so i might mention it to her. has anyone had this before, and what do they offer?