Study Confirms Making Children Go To Bed Early Is Good For A Mom’s Mental Health

It is without argument when a parent says that potty training and putting kids to sleep early are the two most challenging tasks of parenting next to eating of course. As a parent, I too will admit that it is the most harrowing time of day trying to make a little baby or a child sleep who just won’t. The struggle is a daily one for millions of parents worldwide and mind you, it can be traumatic at times for single moms especially trying to shuttle between household chores, work and putting a baby to sleep.

1New study says a child sleeping early benefits mom

A study has justified all those parents screaming “go to bed” or singing lullabies like zombies way into the night desperately trying to get a kid to sleep. It has been confirmed that when kids sleep early, mommy is healthier and happier. Said Jon Quach, lead author and research fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia “So mums and dads, getting kids to bed early isn’t just good for them, it’s good for you too”

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2Sounds like common sense and what was done a long time ago

Although it makes sense, one wonders why did it take a study to advocate something which was practised decades ago when family life was meaningful and technology provided less distractions, when kids played in a park rather than on a PlayStation and a storybook was the need of the hour rather than a cellphone or tab.

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3The study

But, science is science and so the study named “Growing up in Australia” in which thousands of families in Australia were tracked from 2004 sought to understand the implications of the effect of children not sleeping or sleeping earlier and how it impacted the physical and mental health of parents particularly a mom.

The study required every participant sitting for an interview every two years in which the mental and physical condition of all were checked and analyzed in relation to the sleeping pattern of kid’s sleep and lifestyle. What they found was surprising but well, for grandmas and grandpas, maybe not so much.

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