It is no myth that one of the major side effects of having a baby is sleep deprivation. The people around you will tell you to make sure that you sleep when the baby does, but this isn’t always practical. After all, there is the laundry to do, meals to prepare, etc. And who is ready to take a nap just two hours after they get up anyway.
But getting enough sleep is more important for a new parent than you might at first think. There are several reasons why your baby needs you to be well-rested.
When you are sleep deprived, then you won’t be as alert, and this is when accidents tend to happen. You may forget to strap your baby to the changing table for example. Lack of sleep can also making you less inclined to engage your baby. When you are exhausted you just want to get through the day, not play patticake, read Goodnight moon for the 12th time or take a trip to the park.
Now here is one of the biggest reasons for getting enough sleep. A recent study done at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh showed that when you get at least seven hours of sleep a night, you are less likely to catch a cold or other illness. With lack of sleep, your immune system has a harder time of fighting off infection. People who get less than seven hours of sleep a night are three times more likely to get sick. And if you are sick, it not only affects how you can care for your baby but also exposes her to getting ill as well.
While getting at least eight hours of sleep a night may seem impossible with a baby, you should do what you can to make sleep a priority. Turn in early instead of staying up late watching a movie, for example, and try to fit in a mid-afternoon nap if you can.
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