Study: Parents Not as Sleep-Deprived as They Think

Parenting and sleep deprivation go together like peanut butter and jelly – or do they? A new study found that the deleterious effect of kids on your shut-eye may be grossly exaggerated by many parents.

A study from the University of Madison-Wisconsin, published in American Journal of Epidemiology, found that parents sleep very slightly less than their childless counterparts, although the sleep deficit is more marked for parents of very young or multiple children. 

Plus: Age-by-age Sleep Chart

Sleep was tracked in about 4,800 participants over a 19 year period. Each child under age 2 was associated with 13 fewer minutes of sleep per day. For kids ages 2 to 5, the gaps narrows to nine minutes of sleep. And each child ages 6 to 18 years was associated with just four minutes less sleep.

Does this study ring true, or would you beg to differ? Leave a comment.