Sleepless parents

Sleepless nights and feeling exhausted are part and parcel of being a new parent, but the reality of sleep deprivation goes beyond just missing out on a good night’s sleep. On average parents of a newborn will lose out on a staggering 780 hours of sleep in the first year alone. That is more than 97 nights’ worth of sleep.

Some parents have complained about the impact on their professional work, with almost three in 10 (29%) saying they have made a mistake because of tiredness, and 21% have even called in sick because they were too tired to make it into the office. Almost a fifth (18%) have even had to go part time (from full-time roles) to allow them to juggle the pressures of parenthood. It is not only careers that have been affected. Weight gain (38%) and having bad skin (27%) are two of the most common physical effects, according to the research from Tommee Tippee.

Aston spoke to Dr Katharina Lederle, sleep deprivation specialist and fatigue expert to discuss how parents can claw back those lost hours and offer her expertise on how to get enough healthy sleep.