Expert Says Parents Need Enough Sleep for Mental Health

Enough Sleep parent's mental health Alison Divine Dr. Rebecca Robbins Danielle Symons Downs

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Sep 25, 08:27 pm

Researchers in the study published in the journal "Sleep Health" analyzed couples' sleep, physical activity, mental health, and life satisfaction. It was determined that enough sleep was linked with better mental health and life satisfaction for parents, says Futurity.

The research observed positive mental changes in women, especially mothers. The study focused primarily on parents' sleeping recommended guidelines that target factors that significantly impact parents' sleeping hours. The National Sleep Foundation suggested average adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night; otherwise, they would gradually build up a sleep debt that can be hard to pay back. If sleep debt persists, health can suffer.

Sleep helps parents pay attention to children's needs and their necessities. On the other hand, Having enough sleep allows children to form memories, repair cells and tissues, and prevent one from getting sick. In addition, it gives parents the energy to enjoy an entire day with their kids.

How does having enough sleep improve a parent's life?

Alison Divine, senior author and a lecturer at the University of Leeds, said that a study showed physical activity had a negligible impact on parents' mental health. She noted that having enough sleep is associated with better mental health for parents.

Unfortunately, most parents were below recommended sleep hours by approximately one hour. Minor improvements in sleep hours could have a significant impact on parents' mental health. Parents who sleep poorly could have poor parental behavior, coping skills, and difficulty handling emotions. The same study determined that parents who do not have enough sleep are already considered exhausted, leading to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

Dr. Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said that parents need to rest, especially when they become new parents, wherein sleeping hours could be shortened because they would need to take care of the newborn. Sadly, there are not enough studies focusing on parents' needs as most studies focus on children and their necessities, forgetting the parents' essential needs.

According to Sleep Foundation, men lose an average of 13 minutes per night, whereas women lose almost an hour of sleep each night.

Things to do to have enough sleep

Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, suggested parents who cannot allot more time in their schedule for sleep should avoid consuming large meals and drinking caffeine close to bedtime and allow the body to know that it is time to wind down.

Parents also need to set consistent sleeping routines for themselves and their children, as it is one of the best ways to have enough sleep. Consistent sleeping routines allow the body to wake up and go to sleep, releasing melatonin at the right time, making it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Mayo Clinic also recommended not to have alcohol late in the day or at night, at least get regular physical activity as much as possible, and also avoid stimulating light such as screens and noise around bedtime.

If parents do not get enough sleep, there's a big possibility that they will be stressed, which they can transfer to their children. Therefore, it's a bad thing and must be avoided as much as possible.