I don't cope with sleep deprivation very well at all - I go from teary to tantrummy and back to teary but I think survival kicks in a bit and I get through because I just have to.

On days when I am so tired I feel sick, I don't drive anywhere because I don't feel safe enough and everything is so much easier to manage when I am at home.

If I can get the kids settled and playing happily, I try to nap on and off on the couch. Or I grab a pillow and lie on the floor next to where they are playing and sleep there. That keeps them happy enough that I am there, they don't seem to mind that I'm not conscious

I also try and spend some time in the sun. Being in sunshine does amazing things to wake your brain up even when you are so tired you feel ill.

I try to make sure that I eat properly (3 meals a day) even though it seems like a lot of effort and because I feel sick, I don't want to eat. I make all the food for the day for the kids first thing in the morning and put it in containers in the fridge - it is so much easier to do it in one go and think about it in the morning so all I have to do at meal and snack times is drag it out rather than food prep all day long.

I co-sleep if DD2 won't settle any other way - my older two have short naps in the day or will at least play quietly in their rooms for an hour so I lie down with DD2 and hold her while we have a sleep together. Until recently, she has loved it. Now she seems to prefer her own cot, which is nice is some ways. She is not actually my problem sleeper - she is great, DS is my all night long party animal - he is 2 years old.

And I ignore all my housework, if I can. I do only the necessary stuff like cleaning up after meals, wiping down benches, doing dishes. My floors are revolting somedays, but rest seems more important. I try to do my washing on the weekends when DH is home (and he helps out) and avoid doing it during the week if I can help it. It works well for us because I have a day of doing loads, drying them, folding them and at the end of the day, I have a mountain of washing all folded on the table, but I put it away and don't have to think about it for another week. I live in Townsville though and drying on the clothes line only takes an hour and a half even in the middle of winter so it is possible to do that here.


Sleep deprivation is an absolute killer! I hope you get some good sleep sometime soon