Researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have found that Having a baby disrupts sleep quality of the new parents for up to six years after the child’s birth. Researchers studied sleep patterns in 4,659 parents who had a child between 2008 and 2015. During these years parents also reported on their sleep in yearly interviews. In the first three months after birth mothers slept on average one hour less than before pregnancy while fathers sleep duration decreased by approximately 15 minutes.
The study shows that after the birth of the first child and up to six years after birth mothers and fathers sleep duration and sleep satisfaction do not fully recover to the levels before pregnancy. In the study, it was further observed that sleep of the mothers was more disturbed than the fathers as mothers are more caregivers for their children. Sleep effects were more pronounced in first-time parents compared with experienced parents. In the first half a year after birth, the sleep effects were also somewhat stronger in breastfeeding compared with bottle-feeding mothers.
While having children is a major source of joy for most parents it is possible that increased demands and responsibilities associated with the role as a parent lead to shorter sleep and decreased sleep quality even up to six years after the birth of the first child
