Delirious Decisions Due to Deprivation

Oh, sleep.  Where are you some nights?  How do I possibly function with so little sleep?  Why does the world not know the fog I live in some days?  What doctor recommended eight hours of sleep?  Darn doctors ... what do they know anyway?  They must not have had children of their own!

I suppose it's safe to say that we have all been there, living in a sleepless fog.  Maybe it's because you procrastinated and had to stay up all night completing work.  Maybe you work nights and have to care for someone during the day.  Maybe you have relentless children who would rather do anything than sleep.  Maybe you are stressed to the max and your body won't let you give in to the rest you need.  Whatever the reason, we have had days where we are missing the very thing our bodies need most- sleep!

When we are lacking the rest we need, our bodies and brains are just not right.  They do not act normally like they are suppose to.  Emotions seem to flare when we are tired, aches come from everywhere when we are not rested and our thoughts are anything but clear when do not get enough sleep.

What's a person to do?  Many people in the world are pushed to the max.  There is not time to take a cat-nap, to go to bed earlier or to sleep in during the morning hours.  Sometimes we do it to ourselves, but whatever the reason, life becomes SO much more difficult when we are tired.

The fifth chapter in my book is entitled, 'Delirious Decisions Due to Deprivation.'  It highlights the crazy things that happen when parents are not rested.  Everything from nearly dropping an infant to leaving your car running during an hour-long store visit.  These stories are real and unfortunately, they are life.  While it's easy to sit back later and laugh at our craziness, at the time it is anything but humorous. 

There were mornings when my second child was an infant that I would just look at the clock and cry.  Knowing that even if my body would allow me to fall back asleep after the 4:00 am feeding, that my husbands alarm clock would be going off in an hour and then my toddler would be ready to start her day by 6:00 am.  This was, of course, after I had already been up for three previous feedings and knew that after all was said and done, I'd still have to be ready to leave for work by 7:20 am. 

Now, I am past the late night and early morning feedings.  But, I still get woken at least once a night by a child needing a pacifier, or a blanket, or allergy medicine, or a wet bed, or a bad dream, or, or, or!  And I hear that as my children grow, it's only going to get more difficult.  Instead of being woken up in the middle of the night, I will be awake until the middle of the night worrying about what my children are doing in their teenaged years.

Rest is a must, but sometimes it's just not that easy.  Crazy things happen when we are tired.  These things range from wearing two different colored shoes to not wearing a coat on a freezing day to forgetting that the groceries are in the back of the car.  What crazy things have you done when you were tired?  Are you willing to admit to them? 

Here's to wishing you all a restful night's sleep tonight (and that your husband doesn't snore as loudly as mine does while I'm tending to our kiddos needs...ha)!