Sleep

"Tired but wired" - First-time parents lived experiences of sleep loss, tiredness and wellbeing during the first six months postpartum.

Hughes Spence S, Leech A, et al. • PloS one • 2026

PubMed 42945339 DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0347558
TL;DR

Based on interviews with 14 first-time parents in Ireland, the study identified four themes (gendered experience of sleep, (in)ability to sleep, postpartum wellbeing struggles, and resilience and adapting) and concludes that healthcare professionals need to recognise postpartum sleep loss as both a physiological and psychological experience and incorporate holistic, routine discussions of sleep into postnatal care.

Key Findings

Results

First-time parents' experiences of sleep in the first six months postpartum were captured in four themes using reflexive thematic analysis.

  • Fourteen first-time parents (10 female, 4 male) took part in one-to-one semi-structured interviews.
  • Interviews were conducted online from October to December 2025 in Ireland.
  • The four themes were: 1) the gendered experience of sleep as a new parent, 2) (in)ability to sleep, 3) postpartum wellbeing struggles, and 4) resilience and adapting.
Results

Sleep was experienced in a gendered way as parents navigated their new roles as mother or father.

  • Theme 1 was 'the gendered experience of sleep as a new parent'.
  • The abstract describes how parents navigate their sleep 'in their new role as a mother or father'.
  • The sample included 10 female and 4 male participants.
Results

Parents had difficulty getting adequate sleep, captured in the theme '(in)ability to sleep'.

  • The abstract describes parents' 'difficulty getting adequate sleep'.
  • The title phrase 'tired but wired' reflects the experience of being tired yet unable to sleep.
  • Data came from first-time parents within the first six months postpartum.
Results

Sleep loss was linked to complex wellbeing struggles in the postpartum period.

  • Theme 3 was 'postpartum wellbeing struggles'.
  • The study aimed to examine effects of sleep loss on mental health, parental relationships and overall wellbeing.
  • The abstract describes these struggles as 'complex' and a 'result of sleep loss'.
Results

Parents discovered new ways to function and adapt when dealing with sleep loss.

  • Theme 4 was 'resilience and adapting'.
  • The abstract describes 'the discovery of new ways to function when dealing with sleep loss in the postpartum period'.
Conclusions

The authors conclude that postnatal care should treat sleep loss as both physiological and psychological and routinely discuss sleep holistically.

  • The findings 'highlight the need for healthcare professionals to recognise postpartum sleep loss as both a physiological and psychological experience'.
  • They call for 'holistic, routine discussions of sleep' to be incorporated into postnatal care.
  • The authors note a lack of prior research on first-time parents' lived experiences of sleep loss.

What This Means

This study interviewed 14 first-time parents in Ireland (10 mothers and 4 fathers) about how they experienced sleep, tiredness and wellbeing during the first six months after their baby was born. The interviews were done online in late 2025, and the researchers analysed them to find common patterns. Four main themes emerged: sleep was experienced differently depending on whether someone was a mother or father; parents struggled to get enough sleep, sometimes feeling 'tired but wired'; sleep loss was tied to complicated struggles with wellbeing; and parents also found new ways to cope and adapt. This research suggests that sleep loss after birth is not just a physical matter of being tired but also affects emotional and mental wellbeing. The authors suggest that routine postnatal care could include regular, holistic conversations about sleep. Because this is a small qualitative study, it describes experiences rather than measuring how common they are.

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Citation

Hughes Spence S, Leech A, Goss H, O'Connor S, Smyth S, O'Hagan A. (2026). "Tired but wired" - First-time parents lived experiences of sleep loss, tiredness and wellbeing during the first six months postpartum.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347558