Loud neighbors, snoring, tears, bottles, it is the daily life of the young parents. But in addition to harvesting beautiful dark circles under the eyes, our cognitive function is disrupted. A problem that complicates the already difficult days for those who take on this new role!
In a study published in Sleep Medicine, 48 students aged 20 to 29 wore a watch-like device on their wrist. The tool measured their time asleep and awake. The first night they slept for 8 hours straight. The second, they were awakened four times and had to perform chores for 10 to 15 minutes.
Anger towards baby and damage to health
Difficult concentration, drowsiness during the day and bad mood are all consequences of a choppy night. No wonder, since a night’s sleep is equivalent to less than four consecutive hours of sleep. “We know these effects add up, and therefore the functional cost is enormous for young parents, who wake up three to ten times a night for months. In addition to the physical effects of interrupted sleep, parents often develop feelings of anger towards their baby, and feel guilty about these negative feelings, ”says Prof. Avi Sadeh, lead author of the study.
These findings do not only concern parents but also all night workers, chronic insomniacs and those who do not get enough sleep. Several studies have proven the damage to health: lack of sleep greatly increases the risk of vascular diseases (high blood pressure for example), of developing Type 2 diabetes even obesity. Mental disorders are also more common in short sleepers, perhaps because they are made hypersensitive to emotions and pain.
Up to a quarter of neuronssleep / wake system loaders may be affected by sleep debt. In addition, there are difficulties in memorizing,learning and concentration …
