How Much Sleep Do Moms Get?

By: J.L. Rose

How much sleep do moms get?

Hatch.co - a company that designs sleep products for families - conducted a survey of 5,000 women about what it’s like to be mom.

They found what most moms already new. Nearly all moms (98%) prioritize someone else’s sleep over their own. The also found that moms get a mere 5.7 hours of sleep at night, more than two hours less than what their partner gets and 1 to 3 hours less than what the average mom needs.

Dr. Shelby Harris, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis, told the New York Post that moms get an average of 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night, “but they really need 7 to 9 hours to feel rested and refreshed.”

According to the American Medical Association, women face unique sleep struggles from puberty to menopause.

Dr. Lindsay McCullough, a sleep medicine physician at Rush Medical Group in Chicago, said, for women “there's some evidence that they may need slightly more sleep than men, but there's individual variations in sleep needs and further research is needed. Hormonal fluctuations throughout puberty, pregnancy and menopause can affect sleep.”

For postparum moms, the Sleep Foundation recommends:

• Sleep whenever you can. Sleep when the baby sleeps.

• Ask for help so you can sleep at night or take a nap in the day.

• Go for a morning walk. Sunlight early can help you sleep better at night.

For women in general, the Sleep Foundation recommends:

• Creating a calm and quiet sleep environment.

• Determining your optimal sleep temperature.

• Exercising regularly. (Consult your doctor if you’re just starting out.)

• Avoid sleep disruptors like caffeine and alochol.

Are you a mom and unsure where to get started with a sleep routine that leads to better rest?

• Check out Storytime for Moms’ journal prompts to end your day.

• Listen to a relaxing, narrated story to calm your mind.

• Have someone read to you for a change and escape to another world with our narrated fiction series, Territory Zero.

A full library of content from Storytime for Moms is available on YouTube and designed specifically for moms.

J.L. Rose, MA is a mom, communications expert and storyteller with more than 20 years of experience in journalism, strategic communications and education. She has been published by Scary Mommy, StepMom Magazine and more. She earned two Honorable Mentions in the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Comeptition. She is creator of Storytime for Moms on YouTube, a grown-up storytelling channel for women who want to laugh, feel seen or escape for 10 minutes. The channel is dedicated to giving moms a well-deserved break for themselves in a space where moms support moms and it’s all about self-care.