TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?

jerseygirl81 · December 2009

Thought I'd share something else that caught my eye!

TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?

It's no secret that mothers are sensitive to their babies' cries, even while asleep. Yet a recent sleep study commissioned by Lemsip, the manufacturer of over-the-counter flu and cold remedies sold in the U.K., suggests it's not just mothers, but all women, who are quickly roused from sleep by the sound of a crying infant. For men, however, a wailing baby is far less likely to penetrate slumber. While car alarms, buzzing flies and strong wind were all able to interrupt men's sleep, of the broad range of sounds tested during the study, crying babies didn't even fall in the top 10 noises likely to disturb male slumber.

The study was conducted by researchers at MindLab at the University of Sussex, an independent research consultancy that specializes in measuring "human responses" in "real life conditions." Researchers recruited volunteers who were then placed in individual "sleep environments." Participants were outfitted with sensors to monitor brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG). Once they dozed off, researchers began to play the different sounds, measuring participants' response by analyzing brain waves using EEG.

They found that, generally speaking, women were more easily awoken, and had more trouble falling back to sleep once their slumber had been disrupted. And, while there were noises that seemed to roust both women and men?snoring, car alarms, sirens, and leaky faucets, for example?a few sounds that stopped each sex's sleep were notably different. Women were more sensitive to the noise of people carousing outside, for example, while men were more likely to be woken up by crickets chirping and ticking clocks. And of course, while women were most sensitive to sobbing babies, the sound seldom managed to wake men, researchers found.

Dr. David Lewis, a neuropsychologist and director of research at MindLab, suggests that evolution may provide some explanations for these differences. As he told the Telegraph:

"These differing sensitivities may represent evolutionary differences that make women sensitive to sounds associated with a potential threat to their children while men are more finely tuned to disturbances posing a possible threat to the whole family."

Of course, these findings are very general, and likely do not take into account many factors that could contribute to different levels of noise sensitivity?like whether being the father of a brand new baby, or a single parent, makes you more sensitive to those cries, for example. What do you think? How lightly do you sleep? And, if you're a parent, have you or your partner been more likely to wake at the sound of the baby's cries?

Read more: https://wellness.blogs.time.com/2009/12/02/are-men-more-likely-to-sleep-through-babies-cries/?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0Z1CElCPr

mrs.george2be04 · December 2009

I've heard this before, but it's not true in our case. I've always been a more sound sleeper than DH and that didn't change when Logan came along. He has always heard Logan first and sometimes I never heard him at all.

little-peanut · December 2009

This is so true in our hosue. It amazes me how DH can't hear Griffin cry at all during the night.

Meg41208 · December 2009

This is true in our house, and the reason why DH believes that DD has slept through the night many more times than she has - he just doesn't always wake up when she cries or when I get out of bed to feed her.

tinytot_924 · December 2009

This is true in our house as well. DH can sleep through just about anything. We actually had a discussion about this very topic over the weekend (after I had been up with Kate a few days in a row).

Megs&Nick · December 2009

True at our house. I worry about leaving Allie alone with DH overnight for this very reason. He is a super-heavy sleeper and I worry that he wouldn't wake up if she needed him. I practically had to shake him awake last night to help when she puked all over her bed.

KYMelissa06 · December 2009

I read this the other day on FF. It's very true in our house. It makes sense now because DH can sleep through Carter screaming, but as soon as there is a beep on the monitor (Angelcare) because Carter has scooted off the sensor he is up before the alarm actually starts going off.

tiffyr0se · December 2009

Not true in our house. DH has always helped with night duty so he wakes up fairly easily. He sometimes has to wake me up when it's my turn. Though we can both 'turn it off' if we know it's the other person's night. Funny how that works.

tpo1118 · December 2009

I think they forgot to factor in men that pretend to be sleeping so the woman has to get up...oh wait!

KristenBtobe · December 2009

Not true for us, I'd say Mike hears Maggie much more often than I do.

punkrawkmom44 · December 2009

Chuck sleeps through EVERYTHING!

suprchicy · December 2009

This is completely true at our house. DH is impossible to wake up once he goes to sleep. I take care of DD at night all week, and he takes her on Friday and Saturday night so I can sleep, but he stays up all night because he knows he wouldn't wake up to her crying. Even when he takes care of her I still sometimes wake up and hear her. I'm like this with our cat though too, I can hear her crying at the other end of the house at night, DH sleeps right through it.

cat81305 · December 2009

This is sooo true in our house! I am a sound sleeper and usually don't hear the text message beep on the phone or anything but I can wake up to my DD or DS just moving in their beds! DH sleeps through everything except the beep on his phone for a text (he is on call a few times a month for work). It is crazy!

cops_wife · December 2009

This does not come as a surprise to me. At all.

Want a personalized experience?

TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?

Re: TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Want a personalized experience?

TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?

Re: TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies&#039; cries?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards

Re: TIME: Are men more likely to sleep through babies' cries?