How does sleep deprivaton affect you?

[IAteRoseMaryConleyForBreakfast]

I've had over 8 months of sleeplessness now (I'm not going to include the previous 9 months of tiredness, it's too depressing). DS has also had diarrhoea for the last couple of weeks and its resolution has coincided with the onset of a cold. Oh joy. Here we go with another fortnight of 'sleeping' with a sharp-toothed limpet attached to my breast.

I'm finding myself filled with irrational rage about tiny things. I'm apparently quite irritable (DP said this in a shaky whisper from his refuge in the linen cupboard), and I want to cry all the time. I'm also eating quite a lot of chocolate.

What happens to you when you're really tired?

I have zero memory
very irritable
want everyone to leave me alone
eat waaay too much of everything carby and chocolate
dont look after myself

been nearly 3 years now since I've had more than 3 hours straight sleep

I get hungry and grumpy. I am currently tired, but its self inflicted because I stayed up til 1am drinking with friends and dd got me up at 6 45am, which isn't too bad really...just seemed a little harsh this morning!

I deal with lack of sleep incredibly badly.

But then my attitude to Getting Kids Sleeping Properly is one that would not always find favour with everyone on MN.

omg trinity. I would go MAD, seriously, MAD.

THUNK

at prospect of 3 years of this hell.

[kisses Trinity's toes in worshipful awe]

Message withdrawn

I eat every bady thing in sight, I am so moody and my memory turns to mush. Oh and I get spots and dry skin!

I get grumpy and a bit irrational.

I made sure that I was busy in the day so I didn't have time to stop and think how shattered I felt.

My memory has gone since DS2's birth. I don't even try to remember stuff anymore as I know it's not there.

And I can't do maths. Yesterday I went to buy a newspaper, and pulled out a handful of change. I stared at it blankly, then just held it out so newsagent could take the right money, like I was abroad.

All molehills seem like mountains. I cry more easily. I shout at DH. Poor DH...

very badly, no concentration, snappy, basically a bitch to all around me!

WHY ARE YOU EVEN FUCKING ASKING???

Oh, sorry.

I'm holding onto the fact that when gecko is nearer 2 then I know I will be able to be harder on her
once they can talk I'm better at eing firm around bedtime and things

right now she just wants to feed every 2 or 3 hours and we co sleep

That's seriously impressive, Trinity. In my heart, I want to take the same approach - wait until he's old enough to reason with then we can have a discussion, rather than me dictating without explanation and him crying and general upsetness. But I'm not sure how realistic this is given I'm working 40 hours over 4 days at the moment and my hours are about to increase [bleary emoticon]

woah
working that much is already way too hard on you

when dd1 was really small - up to about 12 weeks - she just DID NOT SLEEP. she cried non stop for 12 hours on one memorable day. I started seeing crabs and spiders on the walls out of the corner of my eye....

FWIW for any new mums it all got spectacularly better when I came to understand that she was crying because she was shattered and learned to leave her to cry - all the walking her up and down and bouncing and trying to 'put' her to sleep was keeping her up and even when she did crash out she was so hyper she slept for about 20 minutes.

At 12 weeks in desperation I jut shut the door on the screaming - it lasted about 5 minutes - she quietened down and then she slept for 6 hours in one stretch for the first time in her life and days later slept through the night. Never looked back....

well so sick of my hair falling in my eyes, all sweaty from lack of time to wash it, being tired and irritable, decided to have it cut, short! i never go to hair dressers, they always make me cry, i'm so glad now that i go to bed every night at half seven cos this is the only time my lo sleeps for three hours, i can't go out for at least six months now

padboz that has happened to me a few times too - not always unfortunately.

i felt quite bad yesterday as a lovely relative came to see dd (4mths) - brought lovely gifts, was a very welcome visitor, but i was just TOO TIRED. I was asking her questions re her exciting childfree life then glazing over like a zombie when she answered, like she was talking a foreign language, and i was too tired too engage my brain to translate. felt awful and i'm sure she just thought i was distracted and not interested.

oh cosmina, i do that too. the other night i had a fit of "i want my life back" and stayed up till 10pm after she'd gone down...stupidest thing i've done in a long time

thank god for you caz10. my dh works night so there is no point me sitting up on my own, especially seeing as we have catch up tv so i can watch crap eastenders the next day whilst feeding. anyway nevermind wanting your life back, this IS your life. people who stay up late are no good drug addicts and burglars. no-one is having any fun, they just watch friends

it is worse now that it's lighter - when it was dark at 7pm i had no trouble closing the house up and heading off to bed (dh does nights). but last night it was light and sunny and i could hear kids playing out etc...felt like a total prat.

got depressed thinking in a month or so people will be out in their gardens having bbqs and drinking wine and i'll be off to bed..

I react in the same way as if I have PMT - I am now seriously considering refusing any requests from friends to babysit, even if they plan to return the favour, because being up even an hour or two later than normal affects me so badly (never get a chance to lie in really...).

you must phone the police to complain about the people having bbqs.

Easily confused

Easily enraged

Argue with DH about petty stuff at length until we both forget what we were orginally arguing about

Occasionally hysterical with laughter/despair

Usually greasy, sickly and defeated looking

I feel for you all (((HUGS)))