My Mother never slept

When I was a teenager, I was convinced that my Mother didn't sleep. She was a single Mom with a restaurant job that required long hours. And on the nights that she worked a close shift followed by an open shift, I am pretty sure that she only got about four hours of sleep (at best).

I got used to my Mom's work schedule. And her schedule is part of the reason why I never had a curfew. I didn't have to be home by a certain time; I only had to be home before my Mom made it home and realized I wasn't there. I would sometimes wake up early in the morning just to see her for a few moments or stay up late to talk to her before she crashed at night.

So, it doesn't really surprise me when I read that single mothers get the least amount of sleep out of all the parenting groups/combinations. Of course they do. Single Moms have a lot on their minds, and sleep isn't one of them.

I often think about my Mother and how much/little sleep that she got when I was in my teenage years. It was certainly less than at any other point of our lives together, and, knowing the importance of sleep on health, I realize how much she sacrificed to make my life better. Now that all her children are out of the house, I hope that she is getting just a few more winks at night than she used to.

She certainly deserves it.

How much sleep do you normally get at night? Tell me in the comments.