Having a baby will ruin your sleep for up to six years, study shows

Having a baby will ruin your sleep for up to six years, study shows

Any new parent will tell you that one of the biggest adjustments with a newborn is the lack of sleep.

We've all been there, pacing the floors at 4am, using caffeine as our crutch, praying for some shut eye.

And if you thought it would all be over soon, look away now - because apparently a baby can ruin your sleep for up to six years!

The research

Research led by the University of Warwick in the UK found that women were far more likely to be kept awake than men.

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The study found that first-time mothers are deprived of 22 minutes of sleep a night, even after their child is of school-going age, while fathers lose nearly 40% less sleep at 14 minutes a night.

The researchers asked 2,541 women and 2,119 men who had children between 2008 and 2015 about their sleep.

Moms vs dads

Of the more than 4,600 parents that took part in the research, mums lost more than an hour of sleep per night – 62 minutes – in the three months after giving birth, while men sacrificed only 13 minutes.

Parents lost out on similar amounts of sleep regardless of age or wealth.

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Women were more sleep-deprived right up until their child turned six – probably because moms still take on most of the responsibilities of parenting and managing the household, the study said.

Parenting responsibilities

Dr Sakari Lemola, from the university, revealed: "We did not expect to see people sleeping less even when their children were six years old. Of course there are childcare demands, and children can become unwell at night.

"However, it is also likely that there are long-term effects of having children related to increased responsibilities as a parent."

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