How to survive on no sleep
Like almost ever other working mum that I know, I exist in a state of chronic sleep deprivation. No wonder. We’ve got round-the-clock workdays. Laptops and mobile phones to make sure that we cannot escape. We’ve got husbands who leave 78 percent of the housework to us. We’ve got babies who wake us up during the night and we have a society in which the ability to survive on minimal sleep is a badge of vitality, while lying down brands us as lazy.
Did you know we’re sleeping 20 percent less than our great-grandparents did? Although there are some freaks of nature that feel fully rested after five hours’ sleep – the average adult is genetically programmed to need eight hours of sleep a night.
“In terms of sleep loss, the typical person pulls the equivalent of one all-night every week”! says James Maas, PH.D. Far out!
Even though I feel tired, I am not going to go to bed earlier! Sorry, I will not sacrifice a minute of that time when babies and kids are asleep and I can get something done for myself. I can pay bills, shop online, mop the floors, paint my nails, catch up with my husband and maybe even have sex. That’s the time that keeps me human and I do not want to sleep it away.
Here are a few ENERGIZING TIPS:
- Pick ONE night a week to turn in early instead of shaving time off every night.
- Have a sleep in. Choose a weekend morning when you and your husband can take turns where one of you looks after the kids (take them out of the house for the morning) while the other sleeps in.
- Take a nap! Of course you have all heard ‘Sleep when baby sleeps’ but if you have toddlers who no longer have naps, then put on their favourite video and crash out on the sofa next to them or in the next room. Let your husband drive to family outings so you can have a sleep in the passenger seat
- Coffee is the hands-down favourite reviver of time-pressured mums! Although we all look forward to ‘wine-o’clock’ in the evenings, alcohol is not a good idea as it saps energy in two ways. It’s a sedative and it interferes with sound sleep.
- Take a walk. Sunshine and fresh air are good for both baby and you! Exercise can shake yourself awake with a workout.