New Parents Don’t Get A Good Night’s Sleep – For Six Years

…Or, um, ever.  Thank goodness they’re cute.

Any parent will tell you, that a reliable sleep schedule goes right out the window, with a baby in the house.  But a new study suggests that new parents will remain sleep-deprived for years to come.

In fact, German researchers now say, most parents won’t get back onto a normal sleep schedule until at least six years, after their first child is born.   Researchers find that the pattern is mostly the same for both mothers and fathers, regardless of age, income level, or whether it’s a single or dual-parent family.

However, some “behind-the-studio” discussion, here at STAR 96.7, among parents, generates a much bigger number.  The consensus here, is that you absolutely lose sleep with the care of an infant or toddler, certainly because of their round-the-clock physical needs.  But you then lose sleep with a pre-schooler, and the exhaustion of becoming a thinking, reasoning parent.  Then come the school years, with schedules, lunches, homework, more laundry, buses, etc.  Pre-teen angst and teen lifestyle, plus activities, will have you driving all day, or worrying about that new driver, and so much more.  Then college, maybe marriage, and…  you guessed it.  We all think that the luxury of sleep never comes back.  But it’s worth it.  ~ Mo