I've pretty much been an insomniac my whole life. I think it was a good way of God to train me for motherhood. I go to bed around 2-3 am every day and wake up around 7 am when my son starts pulling my arm. Getting up is a whole 'nother story though. When J's home, he's kind enough to let me sleep in (which I absolutely and truly appreciate!). He started letting me sleep in just a few weeks ago when I got sick after coming home from our cruise. I should get sick more often! LOL.I am so glad that J has been letting me sleep in a few days a week 'cause I seriously don't know how bad life would be for the family right now if he hadn't. I have been stressing out about so many things (certain people in my life, the election, economy, money, etc) that I just can't relax! I lay awake every night praying to God just to help me be semi-functional the next day, to help me be a better mom and for world peace (amongst other things ofcourse). For some reason, being a "good" mom has been on the back of my mind a lot lately and it has been causing me a great deal of stress. We'll just save that thought for another sleepless night...
I get about 4-5 hours of sleep each night and this has been going on for many years. It's amazing how well I can function on just that alone (WITHOUT coffee, mind you). But on some days, I just don't function well at all and just veg on the couch & let the kids run amuck. I think I'm just getting old. Getting old sucks! Not only is it taking longer to lose the last 10 lbs, but I actually feel like I need sleep. So weird, thought I'd never ever say that. Being a good mom really depends on how much beauty sleep I get. It's just even more amazing that when these kids were little babies, I functioned on less than 2 hrs of sleep every day and somehow got out to go to playgroups and exposed myself to society (even when I didn't take a shower for 3 days...yikes!). It's quite fascinating what love for your children can make you do!
Did you know that studies show that people should get 8-9 hrs of sleep per night to be able to lead healthy lives? Are you kidding? 8 hrs of sleep?! WHAT is that? I remember getting 8 hrs of sleep once upon a time when I would get hungover...and man, those days are loooong gone. Well, I do have those occasional hangovers that occur oh so rarely. The ones that you wake up with and say "Gosh, I do not miss this feeling!" But still, I don't get 8 hrs of sleep on those kind of nights. The luxury of "normal" (single & kid-less) people!!
How I wish I could be part of those insomniac studies. I really want to know how badly I need sleep. I mean, my brain says I need it, my body says I need it and my conscience says I desperately should have it...but how come I can't get it? I mean, is drinking a glass of warm milk really the solution? Meditation? Sleeping pills? Isn't there some kind of device that can stop you from thinking period so that I can get some much needed Zzz's? Oh wait, that's called a TV! (and no, I refuse to believe that is the cure!)
