For the average college student, lack of sleep is a constant part of his/her routine. I know - that used to be me. I used to stay up late to work on last minute assignments because I was the queen of procrastination, only to wake up early the next morning because I had class. My coffee drinking habit began in college because I was sleep deprived. But for some reason, back then, I could handle it. I could function close to normal with a few hours sleep. I used to say I thrived on stress, last minuted deadlines, and little sleep.
Oh how that is not the case anymore. Those of you that have children know what real sleep deprivation is in the first few months. The newborns wake every 2-3 hrs to feed; then, as they get a few more months older, those 2-3 hours turn into 4-5 and if you're one of the lucky parents, within 6-9 months you may be getting 6+ hours of uninterrupted sleep a night - that is, until the child hits a) a developmental milestone, b) teething, c) a cold, or d) anything else that disrupts sleeping habits. It's just part of the game, and it's not for the weak. That sleep deprivation has serious effects on its victims. No one really knows what mommy (or even daddy) brain really is until you find yourself waist-deep in it. And as far as I know, there's no cure for it, either. I was told once by another mother: You never get your sleep back once you have children. Well, that's not entirely true; you can get your sleep back sometimes, especially as the children get older.
Now why am I posting this? Well, my once rather good sleeper (except under circumstances noted above) has been having night terrors since we returned from Satellite Beach/Disney/Spring Break. For those that don't know what night terrors are, let me be brief. Night terrors begin about 2-3 hours after a child falls asleep, usually between the REM and non-REM phases of sleep (I think - or maybe it was between two stages of the non-REM sleep. I don't remember now). At this time, the child "wakes" up suddenly, screaming and crying and sometimes talking in his/her sleep. Sometimes, the child sleep walks. Parents cannot wake their child up because any attempt to contact the child results in an aggravation of the condition. It usually subsides within 30 minutes and the child keeps sleeping the rest of the night, oblivious to the terror inflicted on the parents. Night terrors are different than nightmares in that in a terror, the child cannot be soothed, is not really awake, and doesn't remember being afraid or anything from the episode; in contrast, in a nightmare, a child wakes easily and is afraid because he/she remembers the nightmare, he/she can be comforted by the parents.
These definitions fit what's going on with my son. Every night (with the exception of 2 nights, 4-5 days apart, when he slept without waking), my son has been waking up between 10 - 11 PM. That's 2-3 hrs after he goes to sleep. These waking start suddenly, with a piercing cry that wakes both my husband and I instantly and we leap out to his room. My son is in his bed, throwing himself right and left, crying, screaming, muttering "outside," "Captain Hook," Abui," or something else. He's usually calling for my mom, though (Abui). If I attempt to speak to him, or to run my hand through his hair or pat his little arms, he lashes out, screaming and crying harder and louder, kicking, thrashing. It makes it worse. Sometimes, my husband can talk to him and my son calms down for a few minutes, only to start up again. We have to put pillows and stuffed animals around his bed so he doesn't hurt himself. This becomes a cycle of calm and chaos until about 1-2 AM. It's exhausting. My husband camped out in my son's room to see if it helped, but it didn't. My son was still "waking" up, screaming. It's not fun.
His pediatrician says there's no physical cause (i.e. he's not sick), and it's just a phase. His bedtime routine has remained consistent. I'm assuming he got somewhat disrupted during Spring Break, but ironically, he slept great during that week. So right now, I am sleep deprived. I remember my college days and I think to myself: How did I do it? I don't know. All I do know is I need some sleep soon. I'm thankful my mom is coming over tonight and taking over night duties so we can sleep and maybe, just maybe, we can sleep past 7:30 tomorrow morning! I can hope, can't I?
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