My one-year-old was sick this weekend, which meant a lot of tears and missed hours of sleep - for both of us. It was appropriate timing, then, to come across news of a recent survey showing that parents lose an average of six months' sleep during the first 24 months of their child's life. The survey of 1,000 adults, which was commissioned by Silentnight, a U.K. bed company, also found that "almost two-thirds of parents with infants under two years old get just three and a quarter hours of sleep per night." (This figure seems a bit high to me, but perhaps babies in the U.K. sleep less than those across the pond.)
There are little details on how the survey was carried out, and the findings aren't published in a peer-reviewed journal. With that said, the issue of sleep deprivation among new parents is an important issue (chronic fatigue can lead to depression and other health problems), and I'm for anything that raises awareness of the problem. And for those parents struggling to get enough Zzzs, a Med Page Today article includes a few tips for getting more sleep
