News
Regrettable though it is, losing a considerable amount of sleep is part and parcel of parenting. It's just one of the many things you have to sacrifice in exchange for having your very own bundle of joy.
And, unfortunately, one recent study on sleep satisfaction for new parents isn't about to provide you with any silver linings. In fact, the findings will come as something of a blow for anyone who appreciates a generous amount of shut-eye - so, all of us - and happens to be a new parent too.
Researchers from the University of Warwick studied sleep patterns of more than 4,600 parents from Germany who had had a child between 2008 and 2015 for a study published in the journal Sleep.
Credit: Pexels
They discovered that first-born children completely changed their parents' sleep patterns for about six years.
Based on the findings, mothers lost the most sleep after having their child; more than an hour per night in the first three months and about 40 minutes a night in the first year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, breastfeeding mothers reported the least amount of sleep.
Credit: Pexels
"Sleep effects are more pronounced in first-time parents compared with experienced parents, in mothers compared with fathers, and in breastfeeding compared with bottle-feeding mothers," the report reads.
While fathers reported a reduction in sleep, theirs was not as significant as that of their female counterparts. Indeed, fathers lost a comparatively small amount of 15 minutes sleep a night in the first three months.
And it gets worse - because even though parents retrieved the lost hours of sleep after about six years, their overall sleep satisfaction never really recovered.
Ultimately, being a parent is all about sacrifice and that's something you'll be doing a lot of as far as your slumber is concerned.
Jul 16, 2019
5 mins
School Finally Adopts Same Rules For Boys And Girls Dress Codes
Despite the lengths we have gone to, in many parts of the world, in order to ensure that people are treated the same regardless of gender - there are many areas that are comparatively regressive. School dress codes, for instance, tend to be centered around the attire of female students…
May 14, 2019
5 mins
Urgent Cow & Gate Recall Issued After Pieces Of Rubber Found In Baby Food
An urgent product recall has been issued by British baby food provider Cow & Gate. Fragments of a rubber glove, which could present a potentially lethal choking hazard, were discovered in its Cheesy Broccoli Bake Stage 3, designed for babies aged 10 months and older. The Food Standards Agency (FSA)…
Jun 03, 2019
5 mins
Toy Store Owner Shames Parents Who Leave Their Children Unsupervised In Her Store
A toy store owner has taken to social media to shame parents who leave their children in her store. While having children play with products is all part of the parcel of being in the toy business, Ginette McGee, 44, said that a worrying number of parents treat her store…
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive only good things