The mum sleep crisis: new study reveals 72% of parents say sleep loss harms their mental health

New research released for Safer Sleep Week is shining a light on the toll broken nights can take on parents, not just babies.

The study, commissioned by ergoPouch and carried out by Bounty UK, surveyed 1,194 parents and found that sleep deprivation often stretches far beyond the newborn months, with more than half of respondents parenting babies over 12 months old while still dealing with frequent night wakings.

It also points to a wider issue many mums will recognise, the expectation that sleepless nights are simply part of early parenthood, even when the knock-on effects are felt across mental health, work, relationships and day-to-day safety.

Broken sleep is lasting longer than many parents expected

The findings suggest disrupted sleep is both common and persistent for families with young children.

According to the research, 82% of parents said their child wakes more than twice a night, while 41% reported being up four or more times overnight. Nearly half, 47%, said the reality of sleep deprivation was worse than they had expected.

That challenges the idea that sleep deprivation is just a short newborn phase. For many families, the impact is still being felt into toddlerhood, when parents may be back at work, caring for older children or trying to juggle both.

The mental health impact is hard to ignore

One of the clearest findings from the study was the effect on emotional wellbeing.

Overall, 72% of parents said sleep loss had harmed their mental health, while 45% reported symptoms of postnatal anxiety or depression linked to sleep deprivation.

Parents also reported a range of emotional effects, including:

• 68% struggling with emotional regulation
• 47% experiencing low self-esteem
• 46% reporting low confidence
• 45% finding it harder to cope with change

Alongside this, many described brain fog, low motivation and worsening physical health, all of which can make everyday family life feel much harder.

Mums are still carrying most of the night-time load

The research also highlights a stark gender sleep gap. According to the findings, 86% of night wakings are handled by mothers, compared with just 6% to 7% by fathers or partners.

That imbalance matters, especially when sleep deprivation is already affecting confidence, stress levels and the return to work. The study found many mothers felt they were surviving rather than performing, a feeling likely to resonate with parents trying to keep everything going on very little sleep.

Exhaustion is affecting safety, work and relationships

Sleep deprivation is not only about feeling tired the next day. The study suggests it can have serious consequences for family life and daily functioning.

More than 1 in 5 parents, 22%, said they had felt unsafe driving due to tiredness, while 8% said they had experienced a driving accident linked to fatigue.

At work, 55% said sleep deprivation affected their ability to do their job, 64% worried about returning to work and 57% said they were concerned about career progression.

Relationships were also under strain, with 56% saying lack of sleep had harmed their relationship with their partner. Parents reported irritability, less communication and emotional distance as common effects.

Self-care is often the first thing to slip

For many parents, exhaustion also affects the basics.

The research found:

• 79% struggle with healthy eating
• 70% struggle to exercise
• 64% struggle with basic hygiene

Many parents said they were relying on coffee, sugar and convenience foods to get through the day, which can add to the feeling of running on empty.

A new fund aims to offer practical support

In response to the findings, ergoPouch has launched its Thrive Fund, a £10,000 initiative designed to help up to 200 families access sleep support between March and September 2026. TV personality and mum-of-two Ashley James is backing the wider Thrive Not Survive campaign, helping shine a spotlight on the hidden toll broken sleep can take on parents.

The fund includes 130 self-led online sleep courses, 40 places for a live webinar on 23 April 2026, and monthly one-to-one consultations for families facing more severe sleep challenges.

The support will be delivered in collaboration with parenting coach and sleep expert Heidi Skudder, founder of Positively Parenthood, whose work focuses on infant and child sleep, early development and parental wellbeing.

Why this matters to parents now

Safer Sleep Week often centres on babies’ sleep environments and routines, but this campaign widens the conversation to include parents’ wellbeing too.

The message from the research is simple, frequent night waking does not always end after the first few months, and the impact on parents can be significant. For families in the thick of it, that may feel validating in itself.

Just as importantly, it underlines that struggling with broken sleep is not a sign of failure, and that better support for parents is urgently needed alongside advice for babies.

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