Modern parents often feel more sleep-deprived than our ancestors, but this isn't solely due to sleep patterns. The perception of sleep and parenting practices differ significantly between modern and ancestral societies. In foraging societies, parents sleep with their babies and breastfeed through the night, a practice known as 'breastsleeping'. This differs from modern advice to sleep in separate rooms and use cribs, which can increase the risk of sudden infant death. The quality of wakefulness and alertness during night feeds also plays a role in parental sleep quality. While modern parents may feel more tired due to work and child-rearing, ancestral parents had help from alloparents, such as grandmothers and older siblings, which helped them manage the demands of parenting. The model of paid childcare in industrialised societies can create financial stresses and may not provide the same level of support as alloparents. Ultimately, the changes in sleep and lifestyle, rather than sleep duration itself, may be the primary reason for modern parents feeling overwhelmed and sleep-deprived.
