Prue DeAraugoThe Worst form of torture
July 6th 2008 08:27
It is 3am and Samantha is screaming again. My eyelids are so heavy, they are starting to close as I walk zombie like to my daughter’s bedroom. I give her some bonjela, soothe her, and wander back to bed, sliding myself in carefully around the cats. Too late they are awake and started have cleaning themselves. I lie there for a minute listening to the constant licking and that kicking thing they do as they scratch under their chin. I cannot stand it any longer I throw the cats off the bed they race into the lounge and start running around. In desperation, I haul myself out of bed and let them outside.
Sleep deprivation is the worst form of torture. I thought those endless nights of getting up to Samantha were over. In fact, I almost gloated when I told people, ‘Samantha sleeps through the night already,’ even though she was less than three months old.
Everything was great up until a few months ago, when she started teething. Suddenly Samantha has started waking during the night again often letting out a piercing scream. Sometimes in pain, sometimes, I think it is just because she is bored and she knows I will come. Sometimes she wakes twice a night.
Sleep deprivation is slightly different from insomnia. With insomnia, a person may be too stressed or wired to fall asleep. Sleep deprivation on the other hand is a person’s lack of ability to obtain the all-important REM sleep.
Briefly, there are five stages of sleep. During phases 1-4, we progress into a deeper stage of subconsciousness. At the end of stage four we are relaxed enough to reach phase five the most important sleep phase – REM sleep (that’s when you are dreaming).
Lack of REM sleep causes the brain to work less efficiently. I can vouch for this. I am really struggling even writing this blog. I went shopping last week and went off and left the car unlocked in the Chatswood car park.
Without sufficient REM sleep, people often have difficulty handling stress and emotions, poor reactions times, loss of memory and weight gain. I guess the loss of memory is a big one because I think that if any parent remembers how bad this feels they would never have another child.
There is only one cure for sleep deprivation, and that is get some sleep, anyway you can. Get a friend to take your baby out for a walk, take it in turns with your partner to get up in the night. During the day if you are at home instead of getting the vacuum cleaner out when you have a spare minute, unplug the phone and climb into bed for an hour.
Sleep deprivation is the worst form of torture. I thought those endless nights of getting up to Samantha were over. In fact, I almost gloated when I told people, ‘Samantha sleeps through the night already,’ even though she was less than three months old.
Everything was great up until a few months ago, when she started teething. Suddenly Samantha has started waking during the night again often letting out a piercing scream. Sometimes in pain, sometimes, I think it is just because she is bored and she knows I will come. Sometimes she wakes twice a night.
Sleep deprivation is slightly different from insomnia. With insomnia, a person may be too stressed or wired to fall asleep. Sleep deprivation on the other hand is a person’s lack of ability to obtain the all-important REM sleep.
Briefly, there are five stages of sleep. During phases 1-4, we progress into a deeper stage of subconsciousness. At the end of stage four we are relaxed enough to reach phase five the most important sleep phase – REM sleep (that’s when you are dreaming).
Lack of REM sleep causes the brain to work less efficiently. I can vouch for this. I am really struggling even writing this blog. I went shopping last week and went off and left the car unlocked in the Chatswood car park.
Without sufficient REM sleep, people often have difficulty handling stress and emotions, poor reactions times, loss of memory and weight gain. I guess the loss of memory is a big one because I think that if any parent remembers how bad this feels they would never have another child.
There is only one cure for sleep deprivation, and that is get some sleep, anyway you can. Get a friend to take your baby out for a walk, take it in turns with your partner to get up in the night. During the day if you are at home instead of getting the vacuum cleaner out when you have a spare minute, unplug the phone and climb into bed for an hour.
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