These days, I am sleeping a whole lot less than usual! I get by and have enough energy to do the parenting stuff, but I've noticed that it has a huge impact on my mood. I get really down when I'm sleep deprived... it makes it a struggle to summon enough motivation to get work done. Once I catch up on sleep though, those problems fade away! I've been trying to prioritize sleep but it's hard, especially with MOTN wakeups now and then!
How do you function on less sleep?
persimmon / 1096 posts
Lots of coffee, "taking it easy" (read: slacking off) in almost every area of my life, and remembering that this too shall pass.
My mood is REALLY awful in the middle of the night, but I usually feel okay/happy during the day, even functioning on very little sleep. It's the evenings and the MOTN that are rough.
pomegranate / 3580 posts
No idea, but I'd have to agree with @keepcalmcarrie: - lots of slacking on things I need to do around the house during DDs naps. I haven't slept more than 4 hours in a row since March. Not once. 
It's really starting to wear on me lately.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
I can go awhile just pushing through the low sleep nights once I get used to it (like right now, since I have a 2 month old), but when I hit my breaking point, I hit it hard and fast. Generally this results in me having a super crabby day where I eventually break down in tears and DH realizes I'm at my limit and sends me to bed.
DH does super duper horrible on limited sleep. If he gets less than 8 hours, even just for one night, he is super tired and whiny the next day. If he tried hard he can be pretty good about sucking it up - or at least he has been now that this is our second time doing the newborn thing and he knows what to expect. But he absolutely has to at least go to bed early because for whatever reasons his body responds ridiculously bad to low sleep.
nectarine / 2028 posts
@mrbee: Having a newborn (he turns a month old this week-wow...where does the time go?!) is the first time I've dealt with extended periods of little sleep. I can typically do well with consistent nights of 6-7 hours, but the broken sleep I'm getting now (2 hours here, 3 hours there, maybe a nap during the day of 30 minutes) is SO hard. I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it...for one thing, I have a lot of unreturned phone calls that I could return during nap time and don't. I find that no sleep means I need to just lay low when I have a minute-watch TV or read a book instead of trying to be social is a definite must for me!
@wonderstruck: my husband is the same way. I actually didn't make him do any MOTN wake ups with our son at first because we were hosting Thanksgiving with our two-week-old (horrible idea, but went okay!), and I knew one of us would have to be a good host so I figured him being well rested was worth more to me than a few less hours of sleep for me. He's now doing a bottle around 4 AM which I'm hoping will help me get a little more sleep!
pineapple / 12526 posts
I do okay, actually. I learned in the last few years to be alright on very little, so it's not too bad. I can do okay on 5-6 hours, less than 4 and we have trouble though. Doing it for more than a few nights in a row usually turns me into a raging bitchface, however.
DH is a whiny baby when he doesnt sleep enough.
cherry / 117 posts
I actually can function very well on less sleep. The funny thing about me is I actually function worse on more sleep. For instance, if I sleep only 4 hours, I feel better than if I slept 12. It's really weird. I function best on 6-8 hours of sleep.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I can't function on not enough sleep. I need at least 8 hours or I can't stay on task at work. I was loving the afternoon naps with my son on the weekends, but now he's dropped the nap. I call my mother once in a while to come and take him out, I can't nap well if he's in the house. I always have one ear and one eye "open" if you will.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
lots of coffee, and a 20 min catnap whenever I can catch one.
pomelo / 5866 posts
I'm like you. Mood and productivity drags. I am not at my best. I think I need to prioritize it more too.
persimmon / 1404 posts
When I was younger I had a full time job, a part time job, a condo to pay for/take care of, a social life... oh, and I also had a full time college courseload. Some days I would literally have two hours of sleep before I had to get up for work or to study. It was exhausting but somehow I made it through, and as a result I learned to 1) function on little or no sleep, and 2) appreciate sleep!
Now whenever I have a huge lack of sleep, I drink a lot of green tea and try to keep myself busy until I can at least have a nap.
watermelon / 14467 posts
I slack off in most areas and try to rest as much as I can. I also mainline caffeine at work so I can be productive.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
12 comments