What are the effects of parental sleep loss?

What are the effects of parental sleep loss?

Gary Feldman (Medical Director, Stramski Disorders Center, Miller Children's Hospital ) gives expert video advice on: Why won't my child fall asleep at bedtime?; What are the effects of parental sleep loss?; What is the best way for a parent to cope with sleep loss? and more...

If you're sleep deprived, it really affects how you function during the day. It affects how you make decisions. It affects, essentially, your executive functioning. It affects your mood; you become irritable, and less patient. It affects your memory - you may forget what you did a couple of minutes ago if you're severely sleep deprived. This has a direct impact on the child. If you're irritable as a parent because you're sleep deprived, you're going to be less patient and understanding with your child. You're not going to be able to "read" your child, in terms of your child's personality type, and how they are communicating with you. You may misunderstand and think that when your child's doing a particular thing, they're being naughty, but actually that's not really what the child meant to do. It really impacts on many, many areas in parenting and child-rearing.