Sleep Deprivation: Six on Sunday

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

18 Jun 2006 12:30 PM

Sleep deprivation is inevitable for parents. Let's be realistic, while it may seem that sleep deprivation is the province of new moms, sleep deprivation chases you throughout baby hood into toddler hood and further still. So since we're pretty sure that sleep deprivation is going to be inevitable, let's take our Six on Sunday and establish why it's a positive thing that sleep deprivation happens.

Yes, I am serious. We can make anything into a positive, it's just a matter of how you look at it. Perspective is important for everything we do - whether it's our work ethic, toughing out financially lean times or pushing past the exhaustion that we experience during sleep deprivation.

So, look up Moms, here's your Six on Sunday Positives of Sleep Deprivation:

• The Where Doesn't Matter Anymore - That's right - where you sleep loses vast importance in the scheme of things. You are tired enough that you can catch some shuteye just about anywhere - I can't count the number of times I went to sleep sitting straight up in a chair, cradling the baby in my arms. My head hardly even lolls anymore when I need sleep and this is with a five year old!
• The How Matters Less - Before the baby came, you spent some time each day thinking about wardrobe, coordinated clothing and even if the shoes matched - after the baby, you're good if the clothes don't smell and there's no spit up on it. How you look is a matter of perspective - we're lucky if we have the energy to shower much less primp!
• The Why Isn't Important at All - Who cares why you didn't get sleep? The baby was teething, gassy, fussy, upset or restless - the why isn't important, the simple fact is that you didn't get sleep and you don't even get upset about it anymore - you're just resigned to the fact that you can pack more rest into five minutes of sleep than some people can into five hours
• The Who Doesn't Affect You - Once upon a time, when you had guests coming over - you wanted the house to be spotless and presentable - now it doesn't matter if it's your mother, his mother or the boss coming by - as long as there is a path through the house - that's good enough for you. You don't care who they are - unless it's a maid your husband thoughtfully hired for you and then you can enjoy watching them clean up
• The When Doesn't Matter - When you get up, when you go to sleep - it's all relative. For me, sleeping till 7 in the morning is sleeping in and I know plenty of people who think that I am nuts when I say that - but I have spent so many broken nights over the years that I sleep an average of 5 hours a night now and sleeping longer than that can make me giddy!
• The What Helps You Out - Let's be really honest, since you got sleep deprived - do people really bug you on the phone anymore? You've likely mastered the ability to just hang up on the annoying phone calls from people trying to get you to buy a magazine?

When you look at sleep deprivation in this light, you can understand why there are some upsides to even the most negative of situations. Oh and one that doesn't really count as a Six on Sunday, but is a positive in the world where sleep deprivation is a factor - do you have any idea how much you can get done between the hours of 2 and 4 in the morning?

What positives have you experienced since sleep deprivation kicked in?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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