There is a kind of tiredness that only mothers understand.
It isn’t just about going to bed late. It’s the broken sleep, the interrupted nights, the constant listening even when your eyes are closed.
You wake to a cry, settle the baby, lie back down, and just as you drift off again, you hear another sound. Even on the quiet nights, your body stays alert.
You can’t remember the last time you had deep, restorative sleep. It’s light, watchful sleep.
And then the morning comes. You get up anyway. You change and feed your baby as you get ready for the day. You do the work of a full day, whether at home or in the office, on a body that never truly rests.
After weeks or months of this, a new kind of exhaustion settles in. One that doesn’t resolve after a nap.
Sleep does more than give you energy. It helps your body repair and it resets your brain.
When sleep is repeatedly interrupted, your whole system starts to strain. Your stress hormones stay higher. Your patience drops. Your mood becomes more fragile. Your memory and focus begin to slip. Even your immune system takes a hit.
Research consistently shows that chronic sleep disruption is linked to anxiety, low mood, irritability, and emotional overwhelm. It becomes harder to cope with things that once felt manageable. Small problems feel bigger. Noisy environments feel harsher. Your tolerance for everyday disruptions shrinks.
And yet, as a mother, life doesn’t slow down to match your exhaustion.
You’re still expected to function.
Still expected to do the school run safely.
Still expected to be patient with everyone around you.
If you’re a doctor, you’re still expected to deliver excellent care.
If you’re in a relationship, your partner may still expect closeness and intimacy.
No matter what, the household still needs running.
It’s a heavy expectation for someone living on fragments of sleep.
Realistically, it isn’t easy to keep everything going. Over time, things start to crack.
You feel drowsy when driving and do your best to stay alert. You show up to work and give it your all, but feel like you might crumble if someone points out a mistake. You’re shorter with your children than you hoped you’d ever be. You find yourself turning into a version of yourself you don’t recognise. And some days, you just want space. Quiet. Rest. Nothing more.
You may catch yourself thinking,
“When does this end?”
“When will I have the energy to manage my life again?”
Parents with older children often say, “It gets easier with time.”
And for many families, it does.
But you may not want to wait until your child is five years old to feel human again. You may want your energy back now.
So if having energy matters to you, it can help to set a simple intention: to start rebuilding it, even in small ways.
If your nights are broken, perfection isn’t the goal. A perfect night’s sleep may not be realistic with little ones. The goal is recovery wherever you can find it.
Small shifts during the day can make a real difference.
Eat real meals. Your body needs fuel to cope with sleep loss. Skipping meals only deepens the exhaustion.
Get outside once a day. Natural light helps regulate your body clock and can lift your mood and energy, even if your nights are still interrupted.
Lie down when you can. Instead of scrolling on your phone, take a short rest. Even ten or fifteen minutes with your eyes closed can calm your nervous system.
Reduce unnecessary tasks. This is not the season for perfection. Ask yourself which tasks are truly essential and which can wait. Let some things go.
Book an uninterrupted sleep session. Once a week, go to bed very early, as soon as your baby is down. That early stretch of sleep can be deeper and more restorative than the broken hours after midnight. If possible, ask your partner to do sleep shifts so you can get one solid block of rest, even if it’s just a few hours.
Drink more water. Dehydration quietly worsens fatigue, headaches, and low mood. Keeping a glass or bottle nearby can make a noticeable difference.
These small steps won’t solve everything overnight. But they can start to rebuild your energy, piece by piece, even in a season of broken sleep.
And most importantly, remember this. Your exhaustion is not a personal weakness. It is a natural response to months or years of interrupted rest. Until sleep becomes more regular again, the goal is not to push harder. It’s to support your body, nourish it, and give it small sources of energy wherever you can find them.
