912 lost hours of sleep
On average, parents sleep only 5.5 hours per night — 2.5 hours less than before their baby was born. Over the course of a year, this adds up to 912 lost hours of sleep, equivalent to 38 full days.
In other words: parents lose the equivalent of 109 sleepless nights within just twelve months.
Parents in Sleep Crisis
How drastically sleep duration drops for parents in the first year.
Constant wake-ups
Parents wake up an average of 3.1 times per night to care for their baby — more than 1,126 interruptions per year.
And even when the baby falls back asleep, parents don’t immediately do so. On average it takes them 16 minutes to fall asleep again.
109 Sleepless Nights
In the first year, parents lose an average of 912 hours of sleep — the equivalent of 109 full sleepless nights.
Catching up on sleep? Mostly impossible.
“Just sleep when the baby sleeps” — but in reality, this doesn’t work for most parents.
- ·76% of parents rarely or never take naps during the day.
- ·On average, parents manage to lie down for a nap only once per week.
Not just short —
also fragmented
In the first year, parents experience more than 1,126 nighttime interruptions.
Less sleep than on-call doctors
With just 5.5 hours of average sleep per night, parents in the first year sleep less than almost every professional group — including astronauts, soldiers, and on-call doctors.
Sleep Comparison
Parents in the first year sleep less than on-call doctors.
Nearly 11 full days carrying a baby to sleep
Parents spend an average of 10.4 minutes per sleep onset carrying their baby — nearly 11 full days per year.
Daily Life in the First Year
Converted into full days, this is how much time parents spend in the first year...
More than just fatigue
Insufficient sleep isn’t just a physical challenge. Our survey shows it also places a significant emotional burden on parents:
Nighttime Struggles
of parents often or always feel stressed because their baby doesn’t sleep well.
of parents often or always feel anxious before bedtime (only 19.8% go to bed feeling relaxed).
of parents often or always feel lonely during nighttime care.
of parents often or very often feel exhausted or overwhelmed.