Embracing where you're at

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I've been thinking, how can I learn to cope with this never ending lack of sleep I am experiencing?

I have reached the conclusion I have to just embrace it, and the more I think about it the more it makes sense. If we surrender ourselves to our situation, no matter how dire, we will always make it out to the other side. Eveything in this life is temporary, so we must learn to take the rough with the smooth and ride out the storms.

So this morning, armed with my newfound resolve I decided to push through my extreme fatigue, (compounded by yet another night of very poor quality sleep), and attempt to get things done.

After waking up and making breakfast for the children, I went into machine mode and blitzed the house from top to bottom, hoovering, dusting, laundry, dish washing, you name it, I did it. And, may I add, this was all achieved before 12pm. Very impressive for me, especially since baby was crying his head off the whole time. I had to keep stopping to try and calm him down, only for him to flip out as soon as I left his side. He is definitely at the separation anxiety stage that babies go through. Oh joy.

I am finding that if I get up and 'do', rather than sit down and 'don't', I feel a lot better.  Despite the awful sense of weariness, if I accomplish something that I can see, like a clean house, I feel better for it and strangely energized.

Before my blitz I scoured the Internet looking for tips on how to survive on little sleep and came across these golden nuggets of information on ehow.com.

Maybe you or someone you know is experiencing lack of sleep. These tips, although seemingly obvious, could provide some much needed comfort. They have for me.

How to survive on little sleep

During the day

1. Snack on protein, such as tuna fish, to give you an energy boost.
2. Exercise. It may be the last thing you feel like doing, but taking a brisk walk around the block may help you if you're feeling sluggish.
3. Catch a catnap during the day, but no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Any longer than that and you'll feel worse off, and you may have trouble falling asleep at bedtime.
4. "Nap when your baby naps" only if you are getting up every few hours for feedings. Once the child is sleeping through the night, you should too.

At Night

1. Give yourself time to wind down in the evening. The temptation is to use those evening hours to do everything you couldn't get done during the day, which revs you up again.
2. Drink a little chamomile tea and honey, which are natural sedatives, and eat a small snack of low-fat carbs, such as toast with jelly, before you go to bed.
3. Sleep the same amount every night, even if it's only six hours. Regular sleeping habits are just as important as the length of time that we sleep.
4. Keep your room cool and dark so that you can fall asleep quickly.
5. Sleep in an hour later on the weekends if you're able, but no longer than that or it will really mess with your internal clock.
6. Try for a half-hour to fall asleep. If you haven't fallen asleep by then, get out of bed and do something else. When you feel drowsy, try to sleep again.

Tips & warnings

1. Avoid nicotine and caffeine
2. Avoid exercising too close to bedtime. You should try to exercise during the day (morning is best) and no later than three hours before you go to bed.
3. Avoid pharmaceutical sleeping aids, which can turn into a bigger problem for you.
4. Avoid big meals before bedtime, which may actually wake you up.