Sleep expert Dr Dev Banerjee has coined the term ‘babylag’ for that feeling of extreme exhaustion new parents can suffer as a result of sleep deprivation - a feeling not unlike transatlantic jet lag.

New research by JOHNSON’S® Baby finds that more than three quarters of new parents are suffering from sleep deprivation as they struggle to get a good and full night’s sleep. With nearly half of new parents only getting their heads down for just half the recommended eight hours of uninterrupted sleep or less per night, it seems much of the nation is virtually sleepwalking through the daytime whilst suffering from ‘babylag’.

This ‘broken’ sleep is what is leading parents to feel, well, quite literally broken. Nearly 31% are woken up three times a night or more and 43% are up for at least an hour each time they are woken. So that could mean as little as three or four hours sleep a night for some parents -a far cry from a healthy eight hour slumber.

This level of sleep deprivation is leading to all sorts of funny behaviour with parents confessing to hanging dry washing on the line, confusing cupboards for the fridge and putting milk in the washing machine!

Babylag (noun)

The indescribable, can’t-keep-your-eyes-open, desperate-for-a-nap feeling only experienced by new parents. A condition recognised by the JOHNSON’S® BABY brand and leading sleep expert Dr Dev Banerjee to explain the tiredness, and other physical effects, felt by a person after several nights of

baby-related disrupted sleep – akin to the effects of multiple transatlantic flights.

The effects of ‘babylag’

Sleep Expert Dr Dev Banerjee, explains: “Any parent can empathise with the experience and consequences of sleep deprivation caused by having young children or babies up during the night. Now we’ve delved further, recognising the true extent of sleep deprivation amongst new parents and the effects it has on them during daylight hours. The term ‘babylag’ seems very fitting as the symptoms experienced by parents are akin to clocking up numerous transatlantic flights and suffering extreme jet lag.

Dr Dev concludes: “When parents are woken up by baby regularly in the night they rarely enter the final stages of ‘deep’ sleep, denying their bodies the chance to re-charge and prepare for the day ahead. If that is happening night after night it can lead to slower reaction times, poor concentration and affect memory recall and problem solving. The JOHNSON’S® Baby research findings revealed some funny antics of sleep deprived parents but suffering these symptoms can have serious consequences too, so it is important to try to tackle baby sleep issues and help everyone get a good night’s sleep.”

If you want to get an idea of how “babylagged” you might be, take the

fun, interactive ‘babylag’ test online, which measures three areas commonly affected by sleep deprivation- memory recall, reaction time and problem solving ability.

JOHNSON’S® Baby spokesperson James Watson, Senior Product Manager, comments:
“Becoming a new parent undoubtedly brings the most special moments of your life, but it also brings a tiredness beyond normal measure that virtually all new parents can relate to. We think this new term, ‘babylag’, sums up that feeling in-a-nutshell and wouldn’t be surprised if it starts to creep into everyday vernacular, much like ‘baby brain’ has. But more importantly, we don’t just want to focus on the problem but also provide a solution – we want to get Britain’s parents sleeping again and know that routine is absolutely key to sleep for baby, and therefore for you too. The Johnson’s Baby 3-step bedtime routine is clinically proven to help baby sleep better in just one week[1], so give it a try!”

Sleep solution: routine is the key

With well over half (59%) of parents admitting to having problems when getting their children off to sleep, of those who were only woken once in the night, two thirds included ‘bathtime’ in their baby’s bedtime routine and over a third included ‘quiet time’. The JOHNSON'S® Baby 3-step bedtime routine is the first and only night-time routine clinically proven to help babies sleep better in just one week. The 3-step routine of bath, massage and quiet time before bed time can help your baby fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep for longer, which means parents can get a good night’s sleep too.

Sleep; worth its weight in gold (and chocolate, and clothes)

Whilst the parents surveyed wouldn’t swap parenthood for the world, many confess they would be willing to spend their hard earned cash for a good night’s sleep; in fact, of the sleep deprived parents

surveyed, one in five would spend over £500 for what many people probably take for granted. A third would trade buying new clothes for six months, while 31% would give up chocolate for a month and the same amount would give up alcohol for a month.

September 2012

The Johnson’s® Baby ‘babylag’ test is a fun and interactive test that has been developed with Dr Dev Banerjee to assess how tired you may be. Please note that this is not a medical diagnosis. If you are worried about sleep deprivation, please seek the advice of a medical professional.

Share This...