> You need to conserve that vital energy for sleep. My son is almost 15 months. I've been so long without sleep, that the rare occasion I get 8 hours or more I think my body just assumes I'm dead and starts breaking down.
I feel your pain. My daughter just turned 1. Up until a month ago, she was still waking up 3 or 4 times a night. Sometimes more. We had gone so long without regular sleep that my wife and I had gained over 30 pounds. We became irritable, tense, and we were getting ourselves noticed at work for poor performance and tardiness. And despite being happily married for nearly 15 years, our mariage was in jeopardy.
We decided it was time to try sleep training. We first tried a gentle, "fewer tears" method[1]. It sort of worked, but my daughter quickly regressed and became worse than before. Our presence stimulated her rather than soothed her, so staying in the room just made things worse. So, in desperation, we tried Jodi Mindell's more old-fashioned method[2].
It worked. Beginning on night 3 of sleep training, we got 8 hours of unbroken, joyous sleep, and we have gotten regular sleep ever since. My daughter still wakes from time-to-time, but it's no big deal now. We can put her back to sleep in a matter of minutes rather than the hours it used to take before.
The best part though is that my daughter is so much more rested as well. We didn't realize that her poor sleep habits were taking such a toll on her. After a few days of good sleep, she began to smile and laugh more often. She began babbling like never before. She was less cranky, more patient, and her daytime naps even improved. It was like a damn miracle.
Anyway, long story short: take your own advice and prioritize your sleep. If you haven't tried sleep training yet, do it.
I feel your pain. My daughter just turned 1. Up until a month ago, she was still waking up 3 or 4 times a night. Sometimes more. We had gone so long without regular sleep that my wife and I had gained over 30 pounds. We became irritable, tense, and we were getting ourselves noticed at work for poor performance and tardiness. And despite being happily married for nearly 15 years, our mariage was in jeopardy.
We decided it was time to try sleep training. We first tried a gentle, "fewer tears" method[1]. It sort of worked, but my daughter quickly regressed and became worse than before. Our presence stimulated her rather than soothed her, so staying in the room just made things worse. So, in desperation, we tried Jodi Mindell's more old-fashioned method[2].
It worked. Beginning on night 3 of sleep training, we got 8 hours of unbroken, joyous sleep, and we have gotten regular sleep ever since. My daughter still wakes from time-to-time, but it's no big deal now. We can put her back to sleep in a matter of minutes rather than the hours it used to take before.
The best part though is that my daughter is so much more rested as well. We didn't realize that her poor sleep habits were taking such a toll on her. After a few days of good sleep, she began to smile and laugh more often. She began babbling like never before. She was less cranky, more patient, and her daytime naps even improved. It was like a damn miracle.
Anyway, long story short: take your own advice and prioritize your sleep. If you haven't tried sleep training yet, do it.
[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Lady%C2%AE%C2%92s-Good-Night-Tig...
[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Through-Night-Infants-Toddler...