How Many Hours Do You Sleep at Night?

I felt the exact same way after I had my first baby. Broken sleep all the time, exhausted ALL THE TIME, no energy for everyday tasks....etc. I went to the Dr. several times, they did all of my blood work multiple times and found that one of my Iron scores was on the low side. They prescribed me an inexpensive iron tablet and I have been taking it since (2 years now) and I feel wonderful! I had another baby recently and was scared I was going to go back to feeling that way, but the doctor had me stay on the iron through my pregnancy and after. I feel so much better even having two little ones that I did before the iron. Just a thought!

We are on very similar schedules...only I'm at with a three year old cause he's scared (at least every other night)...and then up at 5:30 for working out...

There is not enough time in the day to get any more sleep.

Most people need 8 or more hours of sleep to be healthy. So don't be frustrated! I think it's crazy that we are expected to function on so little sleep -- and it's dangerous! Like you, I get less than 7, and usually broken, and I am exhausted all week. You have a LOT on your plate, working, nursing and other kids. I can only make unpopular suggestions like pumping and getting your husband/partner to feed the baby every other night, or have him do the dinner so you can have a nap when you get home. I don't suppose there is anywhere near work that you can lie down and have a nap at lunch time?? I am assuming that you have a partner so forgive me if you're doing this all on your own!

Not enough LOL!

Probably 7 hours.

Your iron level may be low since you gave birth recently. Have it checked. Iron makes a world of difference.

I'm not sure if XINE is referring to me or not, but yes I have narcolepsy. I have fallen asleep at the wheel and wrecked my car. I have been to a sleep disorder doctor and have been prescribed medication for my problem. Narcolepsy can run in your family as my aunt has it too. But the doctor will need to know about your sleep habits and how you feel during the day. If you get more sleep on the weekends and are fine chances are you do not have narcolepsy, but just need more sleep throughout the night. You may have to consider letting hubby feed the baby a bottle some nights for the safety of your family and other drivers.

My LO has just turned two and is STILL waking through the night. I have to agree here that its not the 6-7 hours but its the broken sleep. been doing this for much of the last two years and have fell asleep at the wheel once or twice. I would suggest trying to see if dh could listen for the baby a couple times a week so you can get the solid block of sleep (even if it were 5hours of straight sleep). I know for me i feel like a new person when/if I get the chance to sleep 4-5 hours of unbroken sleep. Never hurts to be checked out but also realize that your body is only a small portion through getting back to post pregnancy meaning all of your hormones are out of whack too. Good luck - I hope you can find a way to get some sleep and more energy (ps - there is no such thing as make-up sleep- unfortunately, we can never get that back) . .

I've gone through periods (years) where I only need 3 hours of sleep 6 days a week (see below, I always have 1 "long" night per week). I also have had years where I've needed 9-12. I *cannot* do 3 and function anymore. 5 for 1 night, maybe, but then I'm a mess. I have a lot of injuries this year, so that's part of it. Healing takes energy, and I have a full life.

Currently I get 7 hours 6 days a week and 15-18 1 night a week.

I agree, it's the broken sleep that is making you exhausted. Can your husband help at night so maybe you can get a short nap when you get home from work. It's tough those first few months until the baby sleeps all night. It gets better. Maybe do more crockpot dinners and leave laundry for the weekends. I give my kids baths every other day so it's not a nightly thing. Take naps on weekends also.

That's not enough sleep. Everyone is different, but 7-8 hours is more typical.

I think you have more going on than not enough sleep. You work full-time, you had a baby 5 months ago, you have other children, you are nursing. You cook, clean, make lunches, do laundry. Something has to go so you can get to bed earlier.

Perhaps 6-7 hours of sleep works for someone else, and it may work for you later when you are done nursing and can sleep through the night. But for now, face reality, you are going to have to give something up to get more sleep. You fell asleep at the wheel already so your life depends on it!

One more thought no one has mentioned - thyroid problems can pop up after having a baby. So check that out too. And in the meanwhile - listening to books on CD when I had a commute kept me awake and attentive and actually made my commute more pleasurable. I highly recommend it!

Just so you know, I'm SO exhausted. With our toddler waking in the night and taking forever to get back to sleep and with having to get up to get our son to school I get somewhere in between 4-7 hrs of sleep. I HAVE to start getting more sleep.

I've NEVER been 'fine' with only 6-7hrs of sleep let alone BROKEN sleep. Even being on my medication for Hypersomnia... 6-7 is not enough. Even my sleep specialist says that minimum for anyone should be 8... But that's just unrealistic in 'full-time working mom' schedule.

In all honesty... That's one of the reasons why I didn't continue to BF after I went back to work.

I fell asleep at the wheel a couple times with 'proper' amount of sleep... But again, my body's 'need' for sleep is NOT NORMAL.

Have you talked to your Dr about this ? To have you tested for narcolepsy? one of the other moms on here was having very similar issues and tested positive for it!!!
Everyone is Different ! some people require more sleep than others. Good luck and I hope you get the answers your looking for! xoxo

It's because your sleep is broken. I was the same way when i was nursing my little one. I was getting about 8 hours of sleep, but it was never more than two hours in a row. I don't know what else to tell you, but you are not alone.

I also work fulltime and care for my 8 week old baby boy. My son still has not settled into a regular sleep schedule, and I wake several times each night to nurse him. On a good night, I might get 6 1/2 to 7 hours of broken sleep. I stress that's on a good night. I feel like I'm constantly on the go & by bedtime, I'm quite tired. However, I feel alert during the day and have never felt overly tired while driving. Not everyone requires the same amount of sleep, but if you're barely functioning on 7 hours, there may be something else going on. It's probably a good idea to check with your doctor, just to be on the safe side. Good luck to you!

Try the Ferber Sleep training book to teach your little one to sleep through the night. We did it a bit early at 2.5 months. I returned to work when he was 3.5 months. He's now 5.5 months and has been sleeping from 9:30- 7 without interruption since I've been back to work.

My routine is similar to yours 6:30 wake up for me, full time job which puts me home at 6:30 pm. I'm usually asleep by 10:30 (a half an hour to an hour after baby).

Is there any way you could get a weekend away and have some sleep ins/ napping to recharge your batteries? Alternatively, is there any way you could have someone over to relieve you of your evening duty so you could put your feet up once a week? If you don't have people or can't afford someone, maybe you can construct a midweek vacation by packing two sets of lunches, putting on a crock pot dinner and sitting down for a movie with the kids one evening. That way at least you won't have to run around.

Sleep is a HUGE issue for me...ughhh. I fall asleep after midnight and am up before 4:15 without am alarm. I can never fall back asleep and it has been this way for three years. My daughter is 17 no nursing here.

My bladder has been getting me up every 30-45 minutes for 15+ years. I'm doing extremely well if I get 2 hours of sleep in one stretch and that doesn't happen every night. I also get up to let kids in and out of the daycare. So my time in my bed is usually 7-9 hours. But my time sleeping is far less. I am also exhausted and have a mean energy drink habit. I can't wean off because I am a complete slug and would not be safe to drive if I didn't keep it going. If I don't have or want to drive for a few days I back off the energy drinks but then end up with monster headaches. Pun intended.

Like you, I eat pretty well, try and remember my vitamins, and my labs would come back great for all the benchmarks of health. I wish it were different. I've been to doctors and no one can fix my bladder. It's just a have to live with it thing. I'm afraid the only suggestion I have is to find things you love about your life and only let your mind go there. You are still in control of how you feel. If you spend a lot of time thinking about how tired you are, you will feel more tired because of it.

Some people need more sleep than others. I am one of those people. If I get 9hours, I'm a rockstar the next day. At 8 hours, I do really well and have a nice productive day. At 7 hours, that morning cup of coffee becomes necessary and I'll need another shot of caffeine in the afternoon to keep myself going. Anything under 7hours, I'm a wreck all day and nothing gets done. I *know* this about myself, so I really try to get to bed early. I am lucky, however, my kids are all older and in school and I don't work. I wish I could give you some advice because I think your schedule DOES sound exhausting. Any chance that 3am feeding could be pumped breastmilk that Dad can give? Even once or twice a week? Or bring the baby to bed with you and nurse while laying down - that's what I used to do in the early months: nurse laying down, I'd be dozing while the baby ate, then baby would fall asleep and I'd just let him stay in bed with me. It really helped with sleep deprivation for those nursing months. In any case, I really hope you find a solution.

You should make an appointment tomorrow with your doctor instead of looking for answers here. Falling asleep at the wheel is deadly-for yourself of course but also for my family and everyone else sharing the road with you. There is a blog I follow where a father fell asleep at the wheel and drove over a hill-killing his 2 children and leaving a mother without her babies.

If you feel like you are too sleepy to drive please call for a ride.