It does get easier as they get older... DS1 was a big fan of sleep and really needed it.
By around 2 it was manageable if he didn't get his full sleep, he would be feral by bedtime, but we'd just bring it forward a little. It wasn't all the time, just when we had something we didn't want to miss.
By around 3, he could miss his sleep all together. Again, we'd bring bedtime forward half an hour or so.