New parents rejoice! Could this be the answer to improving our sleep?
Following on from the post I wrote earlier in the week, ‘Let’s talk about sleep, baby!’, relating to the fast approaching 4-month sleep regression we’re about to face, this morning I came across some interesting research relating to parents and how we can get quality sleep within the bounds of the little sleep that we do actually get (looking at you, sleep blinks!)
Sleep deprivation and exhaustion is no joke as a new parent!
And the insatiable cravings for just one solid night sleep are real (although I think I’d need about a week of uninterrupted sleep to feel well rested at this point).
But *sigh, we all know that’s wishful thinking and well, dream land.
So rather than focusing on how much sleep we’re getting (or not getting!), it might be better to focus on making sure the sleep we do actually get is quality sleep.
Enter 2AM this morning and no matter what I did I could NOT get back to sleep after the diaper/feed/burp/bed session! The worst!! And then when I finally did get to sleep, it wasn’t great. Didn’t even feel like sleep tbh. Welp!
Anyhoo. I digress.
Back to sleep. (I wish … *kidding!)
We all know sleep is important for physical and mental health, and wellbeing … not new news! But what we may not be as familiar with is what exactly is that magic key to quality sleep.
Is it the bedtime routine?
So, limiting screen time, avoiding eating and alcohol too close to bedtime …?
Turns out, not so much.
According to a world first study from the University of South Australia the secret to quality sleep is doing exercise and being active throughout the day.
So, it’s not so much your bedtime routine (and let’s face it, what new parent has time for their own bedtime routine!) as it is what you do during the day — how active you are!
More reason to really prioritise walks with Little Miss A (didn’t happen yesterday … in fact, mummy didn’t even get out of pjs! Oops!) and daily yoga/pilates sessions.
The study examined different components of time use and different aspects of sleep among 1168 children (average age 12 years) and 1360 adults (their parents, average age 44 years, mainly mothers).
It found that children and adults with higher levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity had less troubled sleep, reduced tiredness, and better sleep quality.
UniSA researcher, Dr Lisa Matricciani says that despite knowing we need to be getting enough sleep for health and wellbeing, many of us (and again … new parents are right up there with this!) aren’t getting enough quality sleep.
“Despite what we know about sleep, many people still struggle to achieve a good night’s sleep,” says Dr Matricciani.
No kidding! A little impossible when you’re operating in SLEEP BLINKS!
“When people think about sleep quality, they tend to focus on adjustments immediately before bedtime – for example, avoiding screens, not eating too much, and avoiding alcohol – but our research looks beyond this to the range of activities we undertake during the day.
“What we found is that our daytime activities are tied to different aspects of our sleep, from sleep quality, sleep efficiency (how much of the time you spend in bed when you are actually asleep), and the overall amount of sleep we get, to levels of tiredness during the day, and when we choose to go to bed.
“We found that if children and adults increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, they would feel less tired, have less troubled sleep and better-quality sleep.”
So the key to quality sleep — and I repeat, quality not quantity — seems to be exercise during the day!
Time to lace up the runners, get Little Miss A into the pram and out the door we go.
Our daily walks and mummy’s should-be-daily yoga/pilates sessions have just become that much more important on that never ending to-do list.
x G.
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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