It is known by all people, with or without children, that in the first weeks and months after having a baby, the quantity and quality of hours we rest decreases considerably. Between those first months in which the baby wakes frequently at night, and our new parent instinct that is always alert, no wonder we're always exhausted.
However, there is some truth in that phrase (sometimes annoying) that is usually said after having a baby: "you will not go back to sleep a full night." A recent study, having children reduces hours and quality of sleep, at least for the next six years after the birth of the first child.
The study
Made in Germany and published in the magazine Sleep, of the Sleep Research Society (Sleep Research Society), the study analyzed sleep reports of more than 2,400 women and 2,100 men to learn how and how much affected the arrival of the children.
In Babies and more Nine tips for parents who sleep little: if you do not rest, you notice and your baby noticesThrough interviews conducted each year between 2008 and 2015, the Participating fathers and mothers reported their satisfaction with the rest, as well as the amount they obtained from it every night. In the group, there were fathers and mothers of one, two and up to three children, and changes in their sleep patterns after having children were analyzed through regression models.
As expected, the satisfaction and quality of sleep declined very strongly after the birth of the first child and reached its lowest point during the first three months of postpartum, and then recover a little of it, as the baby began to sleep more hours in the following months.
Both parents and parents reported not having fully recovered the hours and quality of sleep at six years after having their first baby, compared to those they had before becoming parents, because although children eventually begin to sleep through the night, many still occasionally wake up for various reasons, such as a nightmare or illness, so they continue to lose hours of sleep.
But although parenting is divided into a couple, in most families the mother tends to be the primary caregiver, so naturally, women were more affected in their sleep patterns than men.
They reported that in total, adding the hours of sleep they had during the first three months after becoming mothers, they lost an average of one hour per night, compared to the amount of sleep they had before the birth of their baby.
Subsequently, during the first year they reported losing an average of 40 minutes, while six years later, they lost 25 minutes. Further, six years later his sleep quality was also lower.
In Babies and more, how many hours of sleep have we lost since we were parents? A calculator tells usIn the case of parents, they reported losing only 13 minutes of rest per night during the first three months of postpartum, although six years later his sleep quality was still lower than what they had before having their baby.
As a curious fact of this study, it was found that the number of children did not affect. One might think that more fathers and mothers lost greater amounts of sleep, but in reality, this did not greatly influence.
But regardless of the results of this study, it is not a competition or saying who sleeps more and who sleeps less. Ideally, sharing parenting in the best way that works for each couple, both being responsible for caring for children also during the night to the best of their ability.
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