Babies steal your sleep... but only if you’re a woman

WOMEN bear the brunt of sleepless nights caused by their children, while men continue to sleep like babies, research suggests.

A scientific survey of sleeping habits found that a woman’s night-time rest is likely to get worse with each new child in the family, but a man’s sleep is unaffected.

Researchers in the United States interviewed nearly 6,000 people about their sleeping habits. Participants were asked how long they slept each night, with seven to nine hours considered optimum and fewer than six hours insufficient.

The research found that, among women aged under 45, there was a clear link between poor sleep and having children.

For a woman, each child in a household increased their chances of not getting enough sleep by half.

Children had no effect on how long men slept, said the researchers. Dr Kelly Sullivan, of Georgia Southern University in the US, who led the research, said: “I think these findings may bolster those women who say they feel exhausted.

“Our study found not only are they not sleeping long enough, they also report feeling tired throughout the day.”

The team analysed the results of a telephone survey of 5,805 people.

Overall, 48 per cent of women under 45 with children reported getting at least seven hours of sleep, compared with 62 per cent of those without children.

No other factors, including exercise, marital status and education, appeared to influence how long younger women slept.

Having children also affected how often younger women felt tired during the day. Mothers reported feeling tired 14 days per month, whereas women without children felt tired for 11 days.

The research will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Boston.