A new study published in the recently published journal Sleep Health shows that new mothers may be right when they complain that all those sleepless nights taking care of their newborn babies are reducing their life span.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA studied the situation of 33 mothers during pregnancy and the first year after the birth of their babies, and analyzed the DNA in female blood samples to determine their "physiological age", which may be different from the actual age.
The study found that after one year of delivery, mothers who slept less than 7 hours a night at the age of 6 months were 3 to 7 years older than mothers who slept 7 hours or more.
Researchers said that the first few months of postpartum sleep deprivation may have a lasting impact on physical health. Mothers who slept less than seven hours also had shorter telomeres in their white blood cells. These small DNA fragments at the ends of chromosomes act as protective caps. Shortened telomeres are associated with higher risk of cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases and earlier death.
The study found that every additional hour of sleep time, the physical age of the mother will be younger, and sleep health is as important to the overall health as diet and exercise.
