Sleep Regressions SUCK!
It's been a while since I have posted on here, but I have a good reason. I currently write this in a state of sleep deprivation as our toddler, who will be two in just over a month, is in a sleep regression.
Now here’s a little fun fact about me- I SUCK with no sleep! 😂 With that said, there’s actually a ton of scientific evidence proving that most of us do. And as much as we’d like to think we can function on little sleep (and maybe some people can), the reality is that sleep is crucial to our daily functioning.
The first half of the night is for our deep sleep, when our body physically repairs and our immune system strengthens.
The second half of the night is for our REM sleep when our brain repairs and our memories are internalized.
Currently, I’m seriously lacking on the first half of the night. Simon wakes every 30-60 minutes between when he goes down and around midnight-1:00. After that he will do a 3 hour stretch and then is up and restless again until he wakes up.
Now because Simon is our 4th baby, and I have had a LOT of experience with sleep regressions (as I know you have as well if you have children), I am not freaking out like I did with Carter, our 1st child.
When he went through a sleep regression I flew down the rabbit hole of research determined to fix it because I felt if I didn’t fix it, he would be stuck sleeping poorly and I’d never feel rested again.
Well, here are 2 things I’ve since learned:
Now that I’m a mom, regardless of a sleep regression or not, I won’t ever feel rested like I did prior to kids and I was a fool to take my sleep for granted back then. 🤣 (oh if I could go back and talk pre-mom Sarah!)
Riding out a sleep regression is the only answer.
Because their brain is going through a developmental leap, or growth spurt, there is nothing we can do other than be there to help them navigate through it.
Right now Simon’s vocabulary is growing and so is his independence. Carter recently taught him to say, “ummmm… no" and now that’s Simon’s favourite answer to every question 😂.
But just like when a child falls and scrapes their knee, as much as we’d like to remove the owie and take their pain away, we know all we can do is our best to comfort them. The same goes for sleep regressions, we just need to be there to provide comfort, safety, and consistency until they get through it.
With all of that said, it’s not easy. In fact, it’s much easier said than done because being in a state of sleep deprivation makes the days much harder and my crankiness much more intense. 🙊
And one other thing sleep regressions have taught me is that I can’t get through them on my own. I spend a lot of time in prayer during these regressions. I ask Mother Mary for her intercession to help me remain calm and patient when my kids are malfunctioning and I require much more emotional regulation than I feel capable of. And I pray to God daily, no more like hourly, to walk with me through this challenging season and help me navigate it with grace, reminding me that it’s a season, a storm that I need to ride out and my cross that I must bear.
With all of that said, I pray the end of this sleep regression is sooner than later because I am currently very tired and looking forward to getting back into my regular routine of morning workouts and accomplishing more than an a nap during the day.
If you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because I am navigating life in autopilot with my brain functioning at 20% while I wait for the fog of this sleep regression to clear so I can get back to my regularly scheduled life. 😆
Thanks, as always, for taking precious time out of your life to read what I write.
God Bless,
Sarah ❤️🥰❤️
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