Working Mother

The Top 5 Sleep Issues for Working Moms—Solved!

Is it any wonder working moms feel like they’re slogging through their days? A full two-thirds are sleeping no more than six hours a night, according to a joint survey of 1,400 working moms by Working Mother and Whitney Roban, Ph.D., a family sleep specialist and consultant. And it’s not six hours of uninterrupted z’s, either: Three-quarters of women are woken at least once every night by their kids.

The busy moms who follow prove you can take back your nights. Some are lucky enough to work at places with perks and programs to help their employees get much-needed rest. Others took matters into their own hands.


1. She Was Only Getting Five Hours of Sleep a Night

Molly Beare, PR communications adviser; mom of a 6- and a 1-year-old, Henderson, NV

The problem: Molly’s shift as a Zappos customer-service rep started at 5 a.m., but her toddler wouldn’t go to bed until 11 p.m. With just five hours of shut-eye a night, Molly found it tough to concentrate at work.

Zappos encourages its employees,. Molly started heading to one at lunchtime for a 20-minute siesta. She set an alarm to wake up, then would eat after.

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