Sleep Deprived

Some symptoms of sleep deprivation: tiredness, irritability, shorter attention span, poorer concentration and memory, inability to handle stress, less healthy immune system ... yes, that sounds like me.

I think I have been somewhat sleep deprived ever since Gracie was born (over 3 1/2 years ago). For me, getting enough sleep requires a balancing act -- I need to rest to stay healthy and sane -- but I also need the time to myself each day that I only get once the children are asleep.

Right now, I am desperate for Drew to begin sleeping through the night. After I got mastitis a second time recently, my husband has realized that I need more sleep to stay healthy, and has started to help out with some of Drew's night wakings for the past few nights. Now that Drew realizes that he is not going to see Mommy or get a midnight snack when he wakes up, he is sleeping better, and so am I.

I am also determined to get myself to bed at a reasonable time every night. This is such a struggle for me because there are so many things that I want to do ... books that I want to read, web sites that I want to surf, Blog entries that I want to write. Do I sleep? Or do I Blog? Obviously, sleep has won out over blogging lately for me!

So, what else can this tired Mommy do to get more sleep?