Yahoo Finance Is 'sleep support' really the best way to help new parents at work?
Having children is a sure-fire way to make a good night’s sleep a distant dream. You could be up several times a night to feed your baby, change nappies and console them through teething pain. And by the time you’ve got back to sleep, your alarm goes off — and it’s time to go to work.
Nearly three-quarters of parents face a deficit of three hours of sleep a night on average in the first year of a baby’s life, according to a recent survey of 1,300 parents. According to a recent survey by the Lullaby Trust, 59% of parents with babies under one have said that their child slept for less than four hours at a stretch.
Exactly how much sleep is lost depends on the baby, but what remains a constant is that all parents are sleep deprived — and according to research, parents’ sleep doesn’t return to pre-pregnancy levels until the oldest child is six years old.
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Companies are recognising the impact sleep deprivation can have on working parents. In January this year, Meta (META) announced it would be offering access to a paediatric sleep consultant to its benefit portal, whereby employees who are parents are now offered a discounted rate on sleep training to help parents and babies develop healthy sleeping routines.
But is this really the best way to help employees navigate the challenges of new parenthood, or does it put more pressure on parents to perform?
Acknowledging the challenges of parenthood
One of the benefits of offering "sleep support" for working parents is that it acknowledges the challenges of parenthood.
Returning to work after parental leave can be difficult as you shift your focus between baby and work — and it’s made even harder when you’re sleep deprived.
Sleep deprivation affects our ability to regulate ourselves emotionally and triggers our body's stress response system, making anxiety, low mood and burnout inevitable. Among women, a lack of sleep can exacerbate postpartum depression, which affects as many as eight out of 10 mums.
Insomnia also compromises our immune systems, making us more susceptible to illnesses. In the long-term, sleep disruption has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. It’s also dangerous and can lead to accidents, particularly among workers who need to operate machinery.
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If sleep training helps parents get some rest at night, it benefits both employees and employers. Research has shown that trouble sleeping can affect your mood, judgement, ability to concentrate and decision-making, which inevitably impacts overall work performance. A study of more than 1,000 adults in the US found that a lack of sleep was directly linked to productivity loss.
Sleep training is controversial
However, big questions have been raised as to whether offering sleep support has negative implications.
Firstly, whether it works is up for debate. Secondly, the concept of corporate-sponsored sleep support may be problematic — particularly if it’s the only support offered to new parents.
By its broadest definition, sleep support — a softer term than sleep "training" — can refer to any strategy used by parents to encourage their babies to sleep at night. This can be as simple as implementing a nighttime routine or knowing how to detect an infant's tiredness cues. It can also mean leaving crying babies longer before soothing them overnight — a divisive technique often referred to as letting children "cry it out".
The research on sleep training is mixed. Some parents swear by these methods, but others say they don’t help — and can go against realistic expectations of how babies sleep. Studies on the efficacy of sleep training are marred by high dropout rates among parents, biases and methodological problems, so it’s difficult to come to a conclusion. Even if parents don’t find it helpful, they may feel under pressure to make it work, especially if it’s encouraged by their employer.
Corporate sleep support a tick-box exercise
Problems can also arise if companies expect working parents to function at the same level as they did pre-children, simply because they provide access to sleep support or training.
This kind of workplace benefit might seem like a thoughtful perk, but it may well be a tick-box exercise to appear inclusive, while pushing working parents to be more productive. In reality, it may put the onus on the employee to make sure they’re back and fully-functioning as soon as possible. Not only is it unrealistic, it may actually end up contributing to stress, burnout and presenteeism.
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After returning to work, sleep-deprived new parents may be less productive and may feel more emotional or sensitive. But by offering them support — such as flexible working and encouraging regular breaks — they’re far more likely to return to their best and be able to make the most of their transferable skills.
Instead of offering sleep training in isolation, it may be better for employers to offer a wider support package for new parents that includes flexibility. Employers should educate themselves on what new parents may be experiencing, while encouraging people to speak up and actively seek support if they’re struggling — rather than suffering in silence.
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