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Study confirms what parents long know: Newborns rob you of sleep
A new study finds that parents to newborns get only 4 hours and 44 minutes of sleep on an average night.
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As their child lives out his or her first year of life, the mother and father lose an equivalent of 50 nights of sleep. (Shutterstock/Valeriya Anufriyeva)
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arents of newborns get only 4 hours and 44 minutes of sleep on an average night, according to a new study, the Independent reports.
As their child lives out their first year of life, the mother and father lose an equivalent of 50 nights of sleep, with most of this time dedicated to getting their child back to bed. In fact, the average parent spends 54 minutes per night trying to get their baby to sleep, which adds up to nearly 14 days in that initial year.
While getting their kids to sleep, parents will pace 3.2 kilometres a day while rocking their baby, equaling the length of 28 marathons, in a year.
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The study, which was commissioned by sleep technology brand Simba, found that due to this lack of sleep, two-thirds of parents argue more frequently. Meanwhile, about the same number look back at that first year and are "amazed" they were able to get through it all as well as they did.
One-third of parents also reported that for their child, warm milk got them to sleep the best, while another third got their child to bed by rocking them to sleep in their arms.
To get some of that sleep back, the Independent recommends warm milk, tiring your baby out during the day, ambient noise and music, reducing eye contact before bedtime and warm baths to get your little one to bed. (sul/wng)
