Signed off with sleep deprivation

[Lily7050]

I got very badly sleep deprived during the lockdown when I had to look after DS (who was 9 months old in March), cook and clean and tried to do full time job. Now, looking back I do not know how I did it.
DS was in the nursery before the lockdown. My DP was against hiring a nanny during the lockdown.
Just when the nursery reopened and DS went back I got many of the symptoms described in this old thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/2519667-Things-youve-noticed-that-are-the-result-of-sleep-deprivation?pg=5.
I asked my boss for an annual leave but he was concerned about deadlines.
I have been unable to recover since then. The symptoms affected my job performance.
GP has signed me off for three weeks.
If anybody here has had the same issues, do you think three weeks would be sufficient?
Since June I was trying to go to bed at the same time with DS and get longer sleep. DS still does not sleep through the night. But now he wakes up 2 or 3 times rather than 4-5 times he did in March-May.

Usually they do the 3 weeks and then say to contact them if you need longer. I haven't been signed off for a few years, but the doctor at the time said to me that the reason they don't do a long/more open ended one is because they want to touch base after a few weeks and evaluate whether time away has helped, that you are okay, and whether some additional support is required. It's hard to know if it'll be enough, but hopefully you will feel like things are more manageable with a bit of breathing space. All the best OP.

You need to tackle the root of the problem - if your child is still waking in the night, you're not going to manage to claw back the sleep debt.

My suggestion is - book yourself a room in a hotel for at least 3 nights, if not a week, and go there every evening to get a proper night's sleep. Leave DS with his Dad

THEN when you're back and properly rested, sleep train. 9m is a good age for CC, it only took us one night with DD around that age and then she slept through.

Taking time off but not addressing the issue is just delaying the problem, and you'll have spunked all your employer's goodwill if you come back off 3 weeks leave still unable to function.

Plan out how to use the 3 weeks.
Not for a non sleeping child, but after 4 months of trying to do too much, I basically got up, did the nursery run, and went back to bed for the morning. Then dealt with stuff in the afternoon, and had an evening with the family. When would you be most likely to sleep properly (and if you can get a 4 hour chunk or longer, that's when life got bearable with my none sleeping child).
It's possible you will feel much more human in 3 weeks, but it's also possible the GP will sign you off again. See how it goes, and happy sleeping!