yawn

Luca in his typical napping pose.

Andre has been sick for the past few weeks. Nothing serious, just the typical back to back colds with ear infection thrown in to keep us on our toes and, oh... maybe a cough here and there just for fun. The result has been chronic sleep deprivation for Alain and I.

This morning Andre woke up at 5:00 a.m. and I am so tired that I could probably fall asleep on the sidewalk while walking. I decided to look up what the effects of long term sleep deprivation are and, as Oprah would say, I had an "aha moment." Dr. Meir Kryger, professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, says that people who don't sleep well frequently exhibit the following symptoms:

- Frequent sleepiness
- Nodding off at meetings or while driving
- Difficulty with concentration
- Lapses in memory
- Poor performance
- Mood changes, such as being snappy or moody

While sleepiness and nodding off I knew about, the other symptoms were a surprise and also a relief. I have noticed lapses in memory, difficulty with concentration and being irritable so I've been working really hard to manage myself, such as adopting the "only a moment" mantra. I've been pretty hard on myself about the changes I've noticed, attributing them to not trying hard enough, letting my emotions control me, being weak willed...

So, while I don't think I'll get enough sleep any time soon, I am feeling better about myself as a person. I'll keep trying to keep it together but at least I know the likely cause behind these changes. It's normal and so am I.