A recent study published by the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) in its medical journal Sleep Health found that sleep deprivation in new mothers can lead to the addition of three to seven years to their biological age (how old your body seems).
Researchers conducted this report on 33 mothers by studying them during their pregnancies and the first year of their babies’ lives. They analysed their DNA to find that those who slept less than seven hours a night at the six-month mark, were three to seven years older than those who managed to get seven hours of sleep.
Mothers who got less than seven hours of sleep had shorter telomeres or smaller pieces of DNA. Shorter telomeres have been linked to reduced life span, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. The study also concluded that sleep health is as vital to overall health as diet and exercise and the lack of it can lead to increased age-related diseases. Even though the loss of sleep can increase women’s health risks, it won’t directly harm their bodies. These effects may or may not be permanent.
The solution—as suggested by the researchers—includes getting extra sleep when you can to clear the sleep debt you may have, think naps during the day. It also includes accepting help from friends and family to take the load off yourself.