Sleep Deprivation and the Working Mom (Part Deaux)

Since I posted the piece about sleep deprivation yesterday I was more cognizant of how I spend my time and the amount of sleep I get. I have concluded that I am a little jealous of those supposedly sleep deprived lawyers mentioned in that article who “get by” on over seven hours of sleep. After an un-scientific study I conducted yesterday I am certain that they aren’t bloggers and I know that they don’t have any children.

Here’s a description of my Tuesday night and how I got six glorious hours of sleep.

Last night I drove home in the sunshine. Since I live in Pittsburgh I treat every sunny day like a holiday. I was so excited that I was going to be able to take a walk with my little girl. When I arrived home she was happily playing in the courtyard with her nanny. She greeted me at the entrance like she knew that the sunny day was something to celebrate. Shortly after arriving home, we left for our walk. When we walk, we walk for miles, exploring our neighborhood and enjoying the view of the river. It was even more special because halfway through our walk Andre joined us. However, because he’s Andre and has a need for speed, our walk turned into a run. I resisted the run, but that was pointless. Besides, I had been snacking all day and needed to burn the extra calories.

After the run, we fed the baby, bathed the baby, told her a story and gave her bedtime milk. The next thing we knew it was after 9:00 PM and Andre and I had yet to have dinner. Fortunately, we had leftovers so the preparation was easy. By the time we were done it was after 10:00 PM and I hadn’t written the Twitter Tuesday piece that I planned to write. I have been delinquent on posting a Twitter Tuesday piece acknowledging people I have encountered on the Twittersphere for a while so I was committed to posting it. Before I could do start my piece I decided to watch one of the few shows that I enjoy, “The Game”.

Watching it proved to be fortuitous because it gave me the idea to research Tia Mowry, one of the stars, and I learned that she had recently published a book about her pregnancy. So, I decided to follow her on Twitter and mention her on Twitter Tuesdays. Writing the piece and finding the other folks to mention took some time. The next thing I knew Jay Leno was on and I was learning about how women who drink are thinner than those who don’t. It’s not like I needed any excuses to imbibe, but now I can smugly drink my martini and know that I am doing something good for my mood and my waistline.

Jay had some good guests lined up, but watching his entire show sabotages any plans I have of meeting my 6 hour sleeping minimum. I know that we’re supposed to get 8-10, but that is rarely in the cards for me.

I recall Michelle Obama saying on the campaign trail that the only time she was able to work out was at 5:00AM. Unless she was able to get to bed at 9:00PM she was likely sleep deprived too. Also, since she's a mother, lawyer, and had more than a few other irons in the fire. I am quite certain that adequate sleep was a luxury she did not indulge in often.  Perhaps sleep deprivation is the key to having it all?

Thoughts???

Related articles

• Attorneys Make Top Ten List of Most Sleep-Deprived Jobs | Wills Trusts Estate Prof Blog | 3/3/12

• Energy cost of sleep deprivation found (time4sleep.co.uk)
• How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect You? (mattress-find.com)
• The Better Sleep Council Launches Campaign to Combat Sleep Deprivation, Termed Zombieitis! (prweb.com)