I have convinced myself that reclining in bed reading is just as useful to my brain as sleeping.

I figure if I can't sleep, resting may not be as good but it's better than being up trying to do stuff.

I would snap after about three days with 6 hours sleep.

Yeah, I might not even make it to 2 days.

I really need the time change to happen so my brain can get a little re-set.

I am unhappy when I get less than 7.5 hours!

2 pregnancies and 3-1/2 years of nursing leaves me so very grateful for solid blocks of sleep of any duration over 4-5 hours. I went for several years without a decent block of sleep. It takes a real toll on the body and mind. I think that is why I am so insistent now that I have only myself to blame if I don't get the sleep I need. Sleep, it is such good stuff.

ltc is such a good sleeper, that I really can't complain too much. But I'm still exhausted. Generally she'll sleep from 10 to 3 and then post 3 am feeding until 6 or 7. And occasionally she'll go back to sleep until 9 after that feeding.

Yeah, so I don't get enough sleep, I think that's confirmed. But I don't see how there's time for more sleep in my schedule unless I go to drastic measures like quitting my job, and then the struggle to live on one income will be just as stressful as the struggle to work full time and do a really crappy job of running my house. In fact the job and the crappy housekeeping might be easier.

I notice that when people suggest to me that I should take a day off or take a little "me" time, they don't actually offer to come over and watch the kids or clean my house or cook my dinner or whatever. Even my husband. He'll say "don't do the dishes" or "I'll take care of the laundry" or whatever but he won't actually do them himself so I'm still stuck doing two days worth of work the next day.

In the real world, I can get by on 6 hours. I'll be slow and a little cranky, but I can do it.

Pretty much. I mean, I'm a lot happier when I get 8 hours sleep, but I don't get that most days.

I think I normally get 6 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep, with maybe another 45 minutes of dozing between alarms. In hot weather I also sleep in on weekend mornings, but if it's cool or cold I wake up early and fairly alert.

It's a vicious circle, is what I meant - you can't get enough sleep because you have too much to do and the too much to do is less doable and bearable because you can't get enough sleep. It sucks and I wish I had a solution.

Even going to bed hella early and not having anyone else's needs to attend to I never really have ENOUGH sleep and I find myself thinking I should sleep less and do more because I am not getting enough done day to day.

I blame capitalism, mostly, but I don't know if that's at all legitimate.

[Autocorrect should note my location in Northern California and recognize "hella" as a correct spelling]

I generally get 7 hours of sleep a night, but sometimes my body just says "Go to bed now" at 11 PM. I'd have to be actively sick or something to get to bed before then. Generally, as soon as my CPAP mask goes on, I'm out, and I don't wake up unless my hip or shoulder start to ache and I have to move. I sleep best on my back, but if I do that, my lower back has seized up and I have to force myself to roll over and wriggle to the side of the bed because it hurts so bad. Not good when the middle-aged bladder has started the Countdown Clock of No Return.

I get about 8 hours of sleep a night and make it a real priority because otherwise Life is Bad. I go to sleep at about 9:30 most nights. Poor Casper has lights out at 9pm (and we can't reasonably push it much earlier) and gets up at 6:15 because school starts at 7:30 and the poor child is exhausted all the time during the week. It can't be healthy. (I know, 9 hours sounds like a lot, but she is young and growing like crazy.)