A disturbed sleep is as bad as no sleep at all - Did you Know? #TheElitePartyinJuly #IRepEntertain9jarBlog #TwitterTrendBlog via @myentertain9jar

SCIENTISTS have discovered what every parent of a newborn baby knows – a disturbed sleep can be as detrimental as no sleep at all.

 

Sleep disturbances just a few times a night can significantly effect a persons thinking ability [GETTY]

The research, published yesterday, found that if a person’s sleep is interrupted a few times a night, even for a few minutes at a time, it is equal to getting just four consecutive hours’ sleep. The person will suffer the same effects: a lack of thinking ability, a shortened attention span and negative mood, the Tel Aviv University study found.
 

The functional price new parents pay for infant sleep disturbance is enormous

Professor Avi Sadeh

The research – which also has implications for workers like doctors on call – monitored students’ ability to perform computer tasks after one night of eight-hours sleep and after a night during which they were woken up four times for 15 minutes each time.

Professor Avi Sadeh said: “Our study shows the impact of only one disrupted night but we know these effects accumulate. The functional price new parents pay for infant sleep disturbance is enormous.” He said previous research concentrated on sleep deprivation and ignored the impact of night-wakings.