In a not-too-surprising study, research has proven what mothers already know—they are sleep deprived. And children seem to be the source of that sleep deprivation.
“I think these findings may bolster those women who say they feel exhausted,” says study author Kelly Sullivan, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our study found not only are they not sleeping long enough, they also report feeling tired throughout the day.”
The study, which was released in early February and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting April 22-28, examined data from a nationwide telephone survey of more than 5,800 people. According to a post on ScienceBlog.com, they were asked how many hours they slept and how many days of the previous month they felt tired.
Researchers considered age, race, education, marital status, number of children in the household, income, body mass index, exercise habits, employment and snoring as possible factors linked to sleep deprivation.
They found, however, that among the nearly 3,000 women in the study who were 45 and younger, having children in the house was the only factor associated with getting enough sleep, the article notes. Each child increased the odds of insufficient sleep by nearly 50%.
Having children in the house did not seem to be a factor in how long men slept, the article reports.
