To those of you who are parents, you will understand what I am about to talk about. Those of you who aren't parents will learn soon enough.
When there is a new baby in the house, those who already live there go through a period of adjustment. This period can take as little as a month and as long as several years, during which sleep schedules change, daily routines are altered, and everybody goes through some adaptation to live with the new little person. A side effect of these adjustments is often noticeable - parents with dark circles under their eyes for example.
The first baby is hard. The second is usually much easier, since the parents know what to expect. This lends a false sense of calm to the third child. We as parents tend to think that we have it all under control. Then the third baby descends into our midst. Sleep schedules are interrupted once again. In situations (like mine) where there is another child under the age of two, at least three sleep schedules are messed up. With the oldest child in second grade, there are fully four different sets of schedules, activities, and challenges working in my house.
What all of this means is that sleep has become an abstract concept, like a billion dollars or Santa Claus. When we do sleep, it's rarely for more than an hour or two at a time. These brief snatches of shut-eye aren't long enough to invoke N3 sleep. When we get up for the day, we find ourselves not rested and disheveled, feeling almost as bad as we did before we lay down for the night. Motivation has dropped, much like my ability to use only one voice when I write. Hallucinations happen.
Now, sleep had become insidious in its tricks. For example, last night I only got three and a half hours of sleep, and I feel surprisingly okay. Yet my cerebral mind tells me that I didn't get enough sleep and fights whatever energy I feel that I have. This means that even though I did get enough sleep, I don't feel like I got enough sleep, and I therefore am tired even though I'm not really tired. You know, I don't understand it either.
In any event, sleep has become something that sounds like options: you get nothing now and promises of lots later in return for never ending backbreaking work.
Cheers
When there is a new baby in the house, those who already live there go through a period of adjustment. This period can take as little as a month and as long as several years, during which sleep schedules change, daily routines are altered, and everybody goes through some adaptation to live with the new little person. A side effect of these adjustments is often noticeable - parents with dark circles under their eyes for example.
The first baby is hard. The second is usually much easier, since the parents know what to expect. This lends a false sense of calm to the third child. We as parents tend to think that we have it all under control. Then the third baby descends into our midst. Sleep schedules are interrupted once again. In situations (like mine) where there is another child under the age of two, at least three sleep schedules are messed up. With the oldest child in second grade, there are fully four different sets of schedules, activities, and challenges working in my house.
What all of this means is that sleep has become an abstract concept, like a billion dollars or Santa Claus. When we do sleep, it's rarely for more than an hour or two at a time. These brief snatches of shut-eye aren't long enough to invoke N3 sleep. When we get up for the day, we find ourselves not rested and disheveled, feeling almost as bad as we did before we lay down for the night. Motivation has dropped, much like my ability to use only one voice when I write. Hallucinations happen.
Now, sleep had become insidious in its tricks. For example, last night I only got three and a half hours of sleep, and I feel surprisingly okay. Yet my cerebral mind tells me that I didn't get enough sleep and fights whatever energy I feel that I have. This means that even though I did get enough sleep, I don't feel like I got enough sleep, and I therefore am tired even though I'm not really tired. You know, I don't understand it either.
In any event, sleep has become something that sounds like options: you get nothing now and promises of lots later in return for never ending backbreaking work.
Cheers
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