Monday, February 2, 2015

LOSA - Lack of Sleep Anger/Anxiety

Yes, parents now "sleep train" their children. No word of a lie, it's a common term and plight. No, Ali is not the trainable type, hence I ended up in her room for a few years. I'm a little embarrassed to say it but honestly, it was for my sanity and my families unity. Sleep deprivation is a nasty bugger, and most likely the more plausible label than "post natal depression" in many cases.

The deal was after Ali turned 4 and after Mark and I got married, I'd transition back out of Ali's room. It's been a rough few months. It's almost like having a new born again and I'm remember why I went in in the first place. This Momma does not do well to be in public with lack of sleep.

I've come up with my own label. LOSA (lack of sleep anger/anxiety). It's a nasty beast and there's no real cure. If you're a Momma...you've got it. Symptoms are; not getting a full nights sleep and being yelled at or jumped on during the night to:
  • straighten a blanket
  • give a kiss
  • pick up a stuffed toy that fell
  • tell you about an itch
  • just because she rolled over
  • find a lost glow stick
  • find a lost stuffy that's not really lost
  • to tell you she/he has to pee before rolling back over to sleep (Whereby Momma wakes child and motivates a bathroom trip with all eyes squinting)
  • ACCEPTABLE: Nightmares
  • ACCEPTABLE: wet sheets
  • ACCEPTABLE: puking

LOSA to other people can take on the appearance of lack of hygiene or caring about one's appearance, quiet and withdrawn, emotional and quick to anger, mumbles and grumbles,  poor housekeeping, drinks coffee (hot or cold, doesn't matter) . The Anger portion of this condition is typical during the day or upon wake ups. The Anxiety portion of this condition is very internal and is typically felt at bedtime when trying to fall asleep, symptoms are having a foreboding feeling that you night sleep will be 2 minutes long. 


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Disclaimer:

The author is happy and relieved to report that night time wake ups have finally lessened as have most LOSA symptoms. There's still some bad nights, but a few nights don't typically lead to full blown LOSA but instead to a light grade of sleepiness, fatigue and crankiness for a day.


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