my short and long term memory...sucks.

[hulkster]

im only 26, so i cant play the age card here, but man my memory sucks right now.  my wife is due with our first born in march, and people have said that your memory can crap out during this time.  whatever, but my short term memory is bad, but my long term memory is worse.  thing is, its usually associated with stuff my wife tells me.

"ding ding ding!"  i know you guys are going to tell me it has nothing to do with the pregnancy, and its just cuz us men tune our wives out.  not in this case.  ive tried extra hard to listen very carefully to what my wife is saying.  i dont ignore my wife or try to "not listen" to her or whatever....i listen, hear whats she saying...but then forget.  it wasnt this way 6 months ago, so the only thing i can think of is thats due to the pregnancy.  i have a lot on my mind maybe?  i dunno.

did any of you dads have this kinda thing happen to you?  i seriously dont like it at all.  this morning at work, im sitting at my desk.  i put my headset on to listen to voicemails, but then an email pops up on my computer so i read the couple sentence email (took me all of 5 seconds)...and then sit there and try to remember why i put my headset in.  that has nothing to do with my wife telling me something....so im thinking im just either retarded, or its due to my wife being pregnant.

[TOK]

Yes... I think its a sign of a couple of things, lots on your mind as well as stress that everything goes OK.

Hate to tell ya, but it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. 
I have a 3 year old and still find myself zoning out a lot. Usually when she goes to bed, I just want to sit on the PC and read stuff in quiet. I don't even want the TV on. Its just now getting to the point where she'll play a bit on her own. I went from having all the free time I wanted to being grateful for 15 minutes without hearing somebody yapping or needing something. 

[shardian]

I'm 26, and have went thru a TON of stress in dealing with 2 pregnancies, and many complications along the way. I've noticed the last few months that my memory SUCKS. Its like it has all jumbled together. Things that seem clear to me, I end up being way wrong.  Anyways, I'd say there might be something to your theory.

[saint]

hulkster - how much sleep are you getting? If you're not getting a full night's rest that might be it right there.

[ChadTower]

hulkster - how much sleep are you getting? If you're not getting a full night's rest that might be it right there.

Lack of sleep and stress from the unknowns of the first kid would definitely lead to absentmindedness. 

[hulkster]

hulkster - how much sleep are you getting? If you're not getting a full night's rest that might be it right there.

Lack of sleep and stress from the unknowns of the first kid would definitely lead to absentmindedness. 

well i go to bed around 11 p.m. or earlier, and wake up at 6 a.m. for work.  so thats 7 hours.  i rarely go to bed any later than 11.  i know im supposed to get a full 8 hours...but my evenings are valuable to me.  my wife has been going to bed around 8 p.m. every night because of the pregnancy so that leaves me with a few hours to do my own thing.  i can play games, get on the computer, watch a movie or whatever without any interruption because my wife is asleep and no one calls that late. 

maybe i just need to get over that and go to bed earlier. 

[ChadTower]

Being in bed 8 hours doesn't mean you get 8 hours of reasonable sleep.  I am usually in bed about 7 hours - I'm lucky if I get 3 hours of actual sleep.

[saint]

Try a week of more sleep to see if that makes a difference. I have a similar sleep pattern as you (hulkster), and the side affect is less energy for exercising and muddle-headedness during the day. Days I get adequate sleep I do much better.

[Hoopz]

Exercise more also on top of trying to get good sleep.  The more you exercise, the better you will sleep. 

[hulkster]

Try a week of more sleep to see if that makes a difference. I have a similar sleep pattern as you (hulkster), and the side affect is less energy for exercising and muddle-headedness during the day. Days I get adequate sleep I do much better.

so how much sleep is adequate sleep?  8 hours?  9 hours?  im guessing more is better, but geez....i get home at 5, eat dinner, and then have to go to bed at 8??  i feel like i just got up!     but yeah, im guessing more sleep and exercise would help. 

[boykster]

I've found that heavy drinking allows me to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep a night 

[Hoopz]

Do some things to challenge yourself mentally.  Crosswords and other mental games can help your memory too.

boykster has some good advice too.   

[Chris G]

Different people need different amounts of sleep, so there's no right answer.  You need to find what works for you.

[hulkster]

Different people need different amounts of sleep, so there's no right answer.  You need to find what works for you.

aaaaahhh!  this is supposed to easy and effortless!!!!     this "do the work yourself" stuff is just nonsense!!! 

[ChadTower]

"Go to sleep" is hard work to you?

 

[shardian]

"Go to sleep" is hard work to you?

 

For some people it is hard. My wife has the world worst trouble sleeping, more so the last year since she's been a 24 hour milk shop. She cannot nap, she can't fall asleep at night, and if she wakes up for nay reason she can't go back to sleep. It is very difficult for me to understand, because I need absolutely zero motivation to go to sleep at any time of the day if the opportunity presents itsself.

Back when Elizabeth was first born though, I had trouble shutting my mind down at night. I'd stay awake watching TV, chatting here, or working on arcade stuff. I'm less stressed at home now though, so I only have work stress to bother me. That don't keep me up near as much.

[ChadTower]

I suffer from pretty bad sleep apnea.  I know exactly what sleep deprivation is like.  There are others here that have apnea issues as well though I'll let them speak up themselves if they feel the need.

[hulkster]

well i have no trouble going to sleep, or staying asleep actually.  i love sleeping and its a great feeling to be refreshed and ready for the day when i wake up after a good 8-9 hours of sleep. 

that being said....i love staying up late and playing games, surfing the net, watching a movie, etc MORE so than i do taking a nap.  my wife will come home, lay down, and take a nap without even thinking about it.  to me, thats just wasting my day.  i may be so freakin tired and if actually layed down i would be asleep within 5 minutes and stay asleep for an hour.  but i just feel like "man, if i take a nap, thats an hour of relax time that ive missed out on".  i know that sounds crazy.  taking a nap = rest/relaxation...but to me....taking a nap = 1 hour less in the evening that i get to do what i want.  does that make sense?  if i take a nap, or go to bed earlier, then the morning comes faster and i have to go back to work.  my down time is crucial for me, and i feel like if i "waste" it on sleep, then im not conciously enjoying my down time. 

that being said, i went to bed an hour earlier last night and i feel pretty good and energized today.  so its not that i dont feel better after sleeping or that its hard for me to sleep and stay asleep....its just that i like staying up late and the freedom that it gives me.  im just weird i guess.

[shardian]

well i have no trouble going to sleep, or staying asleep actually.  i love sleeping and its a great feeling to be refreshed and ready for the day when i wake up after a good 8-9 hours of sleep. 

that being said....i love staying up late and playing games, surfing the net, watching a movie, etc MORE so than i do taking a nap.  my wife will come home, lay down, and take a nap without even thinking about it.  to me, thats just wasting my day.  i may be so freakin tired and if actually layed down i would be asleep within 5 minutes and stay asleep for an hour.  but i just feel like "man, if i take a nap, thats an hour of relax time that ive missed out on".  i know that sounds crazy.  taking a nap = rest/relaxation...but to me....taking a nap = 1 hour less in the evening that i get to do what i want.  does that make sense?  if i take a nap, or go to bed earlier, then the morning comes faster and i have to go back to work.  my down time is crucial for me, and i feel like if i "waste" it on sleep, then im not conciously enjoying my down time. 

that being said, i went to bed an hour earlier last night and i feel pretty good and energized today.  so its not that i dont feel better after sleeping or that its hard for me to sleep and stay asleep....its just that i like staying up late and the freedom that it gives me.  im just weird i guess.

Nothing weird about it at all. i was the same way for a while. I just realized I was being a thoroughly cranky ---uvula--- until my "second wind" kicked in around 11 pm. I would feel like I could collapse from sleepiness up until I got the wife and baby to bed, then just when I laid down to sleep, I would be hit with a wave of anxious energy. You know, the kind where you have an overwhelming urge to accomplish something and you can't rest until after it is done. It was eating me up, I was getting like 3-4 hours of sleep a night. How did I start sleeping, well I guess I relaxed after I finally got the pinball machine working.