A man who was excited to be a new dad saw one of the most common hardships experienced by new parents in stark relief when he looked at his smartwatch.
Sharing a screenshot to the Reddit’s r/AppleWatch forum, user jinitoza14 quipped in the title: “Have kids, they said. It would be fun, they said.”
In the screenshot, the original poster’s (OP’s) sleep was rated as “high” from September 2025 to March 2026.
However, starting in what appeared to be early March, the OP’s sleep score fell sharply downward, crashing to “very low.”
The user’s Apple Watch statistics said that in the last 25 weeks, his sleep levels were “very high” for 10, “high” for 14 and “OK” for one.
‘No one prepares you’
Reddit responders were sympathetic among 275 comments.
“It will be better in 12-13 years time,” one pundit joked.
“There was one night when I was feeding my son, after a full 12 hour shift, just to give my wife a bit of a break and let her get a full four hour block of sleep, that I was literally hallucinating,” another individual shared.
“The door and walls were shimmering and my arms felt like they were detached or alien to my body.
“No one prepares you for that s***. You have to experience it directly to really know the kind of impacts lack of sleep can have on a body and a life.”
“The first six months are the hardest, after that it slowly (very slowly) gets better, but expect to have occasional interrupted sleep for the rest of your life,” another individual warned.
“Congrats on the baby.”
Sleep Deprivation with Newborns
Sleep deprivation is one of the most immediate challenges new parents face, often beginning within days of bringing a baby home.
Infants typically wake every two to three hours, leaving caregivers with fragmented rest that can take a toll on mood, concentration and overall health.
Pediatric experts generally advise that parents shift expectations early, recognizing that uninterrupted sleep may not be realistic in the first months and that adjusting routines can help ease the strain.
One of the most commonly recommended strategies is for parents to sleep in shifts, allowing each caregiver a longer, more restorative block of rest while the other handles feedings or soothing.
Short naps during the day, even 20 to 30 minutes, can help offset nighttime disruptions.
Creating a simple, repeatable nighttime routine—such as dimming lights, limiting stimulation and keeping interactions quiet—can also support a baby’s gradual understanding of day and night patterns over time.
While the early months can feel relentless, most babies begin to develop longer sleep stretches as they grow.
In the meantime, experts stress that flexibility, shared responsibility and realistic expectations are key tools for navigating one of the most demanding phases of early parenthood.
Newsweek has reached out to jinitoza14 for comment via Reddit.