The inevitable sleep deprivation for new parents

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To follow up on our post on the importance of infant sleep, we wanted to discuss the inevitable sleep deprivation that occurs with new parents. For a majority of new parents this sleep deprivation is temporary, a few months at the most. Many will note that their sleep habits have done a 180 since before they had children. The luxury of sleeping in is a distant memory for most. Some of these parents state the joy of getting to sleep with children.

When you give kids cereal and tablets so you can stay in bed past 10am.. Sometimes parents need to stay in bed. #parentwin #neededthis ?????

— Marisol Claich (@MarisolM) June 4, 2016

When ur #baby falls asleep on u so u #nap too & have the best.sleep.ever. ???? #parentgoals #parentwin

— MomProblems (@MomProblems5) May 31, 2016

When your 8 month old refuses to sleep at 1 am you turn to #MorganFreeman reading #Gothefucktosleep on youtube #funnyparents #parentwin

— DiabeticJoe (@DiabeticJoe1) June 15, 2016

A lie in used to mean I might missed my 11am cardio class. Today I cheered because the time started with 6. #parentingtruth #funnyparents

— KatieVsMotherhood (@KatieMorrisMum) April 20, 2016

Long term sleep deprivation can have negative consequences on a new parent. If you happen to be suffering from a sleep disorder i.e. sleep apnea, and now are under the schedule of taking care of young children, you may be in a dangerous cycle of lack of sleep. Consistent schedules and sharing the load with your spouse, friends and family will help you get a minimum of sleep and hopefully you can speak to your doctor to see if you have an underlying sleep disorder.

As a new parent, try to sleep as much as you can when you can. This is easier said then done, but may be the way to do things till you baby is old enough to sleep though the night. There will always be new things to contend with. Infant gets older, doesn’t need midnight feeding, may wake due to teething. Older baby may experience discomfort. Toddlers may come into your bed in the middle of the night. The reasons as to why you can’t sleep will always be there. You may have to choose between sleep and a social life. It’s not surprising that a good number of parents go to bed not long after their kids. They need to be up early, because baby wakes up early.

Keeping your children on a consistent routine for bedtime and wake will be the easiest way to ensure that you also have the time to sleep.