Sleep is such a valuable resource that deeply affects parents' general health and plays a big part in showing up as the parent you want to be. To help families prioritize rest and get better sleep, we sat down with two experts who, as parents, know firsthand the struggles of a lack of sleep.

Alanna McGinn is the Founder and Lead Sleep Expert at Good Night Sleep Site, a team of sleep consultants who have helped thousands of families overcome their sleep challenges and establish healthy nighttime habits to get the sleep they need to feel healthy, happy and at their best. Dennis Hancock is the president and CEO of Mountain Valley MD, a biotech company focused on advancing sleep solutions to optimize human health.
The impact of sleep on parental well-being Quality sleep is the cornerstone of good physical and mental health. For parents, the effects of sleep deprivation can be particularly pronounced. Alanna explains that whether you're a parent or not, sleeping against your natural body clock doesn't promote the best quality of sleep you can get. Because of that, we run the 'sleep debt' and become sleep deprived.

"Sleep deprivation affects many things," she said. "It affects our cognitive abilities, mood and temperament, immune system, and motor skills. When we're dealing with a new parent, especially a mom who is running on a sleep debt and experiencing sleep deprivation because they have a child who isn't sleeping, our main concern with that mom is the temper...