Sleep Deprivation

Ok. I'm writing this at 1215AM. I should be in bed, but frankly, that won't happen for a few. So I can continue to toss and turn and generally be pissed off at the universe (again) or I can sit and write a little bit and put the frustrations to good use.

Sleep deprivation is a bad thing and from the targetwomen.com website, I had to do a little cut and paste so I could put this all in perspective.

Some of the common symptoms of sleep deprivation are fatigue, lack of physical energy and exhaustion. Our emotional moods are affected by exhaustion and fatigue. This condition in turn will lead to pessimism, sadness, stress and anger. To function effectively, the frontal cortex of our brain needs sufficient sleep. The ability to control speech, problem solving and accessing memory is all controlled by the frontal cortex and if there is not enough rest, these abilities are affected. If there is no sufficient rest, driving can be dangerous.

Adult symptoms of sleep deprivation may vary from those of a child. Yawning constantly, dozing off while watching a television show, poor concentration and grogginess while waking up are some of the symptoms adults display when they are deprived of sleep. The symptoms of a sleep-deprived child include irritability, daytime naps, tantrums, hyperactive behavior and moodiness. Getting out of bed in the morning is a problem for children who experience sleep deprivation.

There are a number of consequences for not getting the recommended number of hours of sleep a night, which by the way are 8. The heftiest one: obesity. The most morbid; death. Not a fan of those ideas.

To put this sleep thing in perspective:
* My darling hubby snores to the point where it's not only loud, but the vibrations carry throughout the bed and there are some nights ( about 50% of the time) I have to take some melatonin or a night time sleep aid to help even get to sleep.
* If I am lucky, I can actually sleep in my own bed one or two nights a week. The majority of the time I have to move to the couch (Remember that not a fan thing? Count this in on that.)
* There are some nights one of the kids is spending the night with a friend or grandparents. Those nights I generally get to sleep an entire night in a bed.
* Couple the aforementioned with a lack of exercise (because I'm freakin' tired) and the extra 50-60 pounds I'm carrying, a lovely case of what I think is RLS (possibly caused by the night time sleep aids) and to top it off ... plantar fasciatis... no wonder I am only averaging 4 - 6 hours of sleep a night.

Now.. if you look at the fact I generally am getting to sleep about 0100 - 0130 and have to get up and pee at least once, sometimes twice, because of other physical problems then I say that starts moving the sleep scale down to 3-5 hours a night because it sometimes takes me a while to get back to sleep after waking.

I'm not the only one in the family that suffers from this malady. My mother is a poster child and I do wonder about some freaked out genetic link. Sleep deprivation has a lot of behavioral side effects and I found this one which really does describe me and my mom to some degree...

If you were a happy-go-lucky by nature, get ready for a new you, if you are a victim of sleep deprivation. Nothing will make you happy, as you will be down almost all the time. Not only will your health be affected, but you will also get drowned from the mental point of view. Thus, the positive vibes, which you would have bought in the room previously, is going to be replaced by a lethargic and a negative atmosphere. www.effectsofsleepdeprivation.net

I can't say mom's ever been happy-go-lucky, but negativity is her mainstay. And lately, I find myself to be quite irritable nature.

Irrespective of the importance that the person, at the other end, holds in your life, you will start getting irritated with everything coming from them. This may cause fissures in the relation and ultimately, lead your life to get filled with stress and tension.

If I look at my situation honestly, yes. This is the case. Not a fan of this either.

So what's the solution?
They claim: exercise, relaxation techniques, meditation, diet and sometimes natural supplements.

I could argue against many of these, but the fact of the matter is I'm knee deep in Crap-Creek and need a way out. I'm starting a new blog that will hopefully focus on these very issues. Stay tuned for more details... after a word from this nap. Good night...