Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Chronic Sleep Deprivation in Mouse Pups by Means of Gentle Handling
03:46

Chronic Sleep Deprivation in Mouse Pups by Means of Gentle Handling

Published on: October 11, 2018

10.2K

Sleep hours and quality before and after baby: Inequalities by gender and partnership

Shih-Yi Chao1, Brienna Perelli-Harris2, Ann Berrington2

  • 1Academia Sinica, Taiwan; University of Southampton, UK.

Advances in Life Course Research
|March 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

New mothers experience significant sleep loss, with women sleeping less than men after childbirth. Cohabiting fathers also face greater sleep reduction, indicating potential sleep disturbances during early parenthood.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Sleep Science
  • Demography

Background:

  • Parenthood is a major life event associated with sleep deprivation.
  • Limited research exists on sleep changes specifically around childbirth.
  • Understanding sleep patterns during this transition is crucial for parental well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in sleep duration and quality following childbirth.
  • To examine gender differences in sleep patterns after becoming a parent.
  • To analyze the impact of partnership status on parental sleep.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (approx. 1,000 participants).
  • Analyzed sleep changes within a three-year window around childbirth.
  • Employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and logistic regression models.

Main Results:

  • Mothers experienced an average reduction of 0.7 hours (42 minutes) in sleep.
  • Post-childbirth, sleep duration became similar for both mothers and fathers, unlike pre-parenthood.
  • Cohabiting fathers showed a greater sleep reduction (approx. 0.5 hours/30 minutes) compared to married fathers.

Conclusions:

  • Becoming a mother significantly decreases sleep hours.
  • Gender sleep disparities diminish after childbirth.
  • Cohabiting fathers may face heightened sleep disturbances compared to married fathers, impacting family dynamics.

Keywords:
FertilityGender equalityLife coursePartnership statusSleep

More Related Videos

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments08:36

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

12.1K
Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression04:33

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression

Published on: April 26, 2024

755

Related Concept Videos

Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation01:13

Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation

Insufficient sleep refers to not getting the recommended amount of sleep for optimal functioning, even if it's just slightly less than needed. Sleep insufficiency may occur due to lifestyle choices, such as staying up late for social events or work, resulting in routinely getting less sleep than required. For example, consistently sleeping 6 hours when the body needs 7-9 hours can lead to cumulative effects on health and well-being.
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
189
Parenting Styles01:27

Parenting Styles

Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
100
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep01:24

Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep

Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
204
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
59
Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
11.8K
Understanding Sleep01:11

Understanding Sleep

Sleep, an essential biological state, involves significant reductions in physical activity, sensory awareness, and interaction with the environment. This complex physiological process is primarily regulated by specific brain regions, notably the hypothalamus and pons, which govern the sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
445