Three out of four new parents suffer from 'babylag': study

A new poll of 1,000 parents in the UK coined the term 'babylag' because of its similarities to jetlag, the Daily Mail reported.

However, it takes a lot less time to recover from the effects of a trans-Atlantic plane journey compared to months of disturbed nights, according to sleep expert Dr Dev Banerjee, a consultant at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.

Sleep deprivation after having a baby is not unusual, but it can have serious consequences, like mothers falling asleep in the shower and fathers going to work on their days off.

The poll for toiletries' brand Johnson's Baby found that nearly half of new mums and dads get just four hours sleep a night for up to a week at a time.

One in three are regularly woken three times a night by a crying baby in the early weeks of parenthood and 43 per cent of adults stay awake for an hour each time.

The psychological side effects of losing sleep include heightened emotions for 36 per cent and the zombie-like feeling of operating on 'auto pilot' for 17 per cent.

This is what leads to mixed up behaviour such as confusing the fridge for the food cupboard and shampoo for toothpaste among other things, said the research.

"The term 'babylag' seems very fitting as the symptoms experienced by parents are akin to clocking up numerous trans-Atlantic flights and suffering extreme jet lag," Banerjee said.

"When parents are woken up by their 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," Banerjee added.

"If that is happening night after night it can lead to slower reaction times, poor concentration and affect memory recall and problem solving," he said.

Putting milk in the washing machines (and socks in the fridge) topped the list of ten bizarre babylag mishaps by new parents.

Falling asleep in the shower and leaving baby in the car were ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Going out in pyjamas or using hair spray instead of deodorant and hanging dirty clothes on washing line also featured on the list.

Some parents admitted to putting shampoo on toothbrush, pouring babymilk over breakfast cereal, going to the office on a weekend and putting wrong clothes on children.