Sleep deprivation is killing my mental health

Apr 25·1 min read

My youngest is 18 months and still not sleeping through. I've been running on fumes for months now. I'm irritable, everything feels harder, I'm snapping at my wife and kids over nothing. Went to the doctor and he basically said I'm dealing with exhaustion related anxiety and depression. We're working on sleep training with the baby but man, this has shown me how much sleep matters for mental health. If any of you dads are in the newborn phase, hang in there but also take care of yourself.

4 comments108 views

Comments(4)

JJosh M.RegularApr 27

18 months is rough, man. We're at 20 months now and just starting to get consistent sleep through. Have you talked to your pediatrician about it? Sometimes there's actually something fixable behind the sleeplessness versus just normal toddler stuff.

PPedroRegularApr 27

This is brutal. The sleep deprivation is no joke for your mental health. I'd be honest with your partner about how much you're struggling because this isn't sustainable. Maybe you can tag team some nights so you at least get one solid stretch of sleep.

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BBrandonNew DadApr 27

Real talk - have you considered just accepting that this is the season and trying to sleep when the kid sleeps, even if it's 3pm? I know that sounds impossible but the mental health hit from fighting it is worse than the routine disruption.

MMarcusNew DadApr 26

Fumes is the right word. At that stage with my youngest I was basically hallucinating by week three of bad sleep. If you don't have support around you, you need to ask for it. This is the time to call in favors from family or friends.