Sleep emergencies happen when exhausted parents reach their breaking point—depleted by fragmented rest and desperate for even 4–5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Unlike typical sleep struggles or mental health crises, a sleep emergency requires one essential treatment: sleep.

In this blog, we explore how to recognize and prevent these crises before they happen, and how to release the shame that so often accompanies them. Many parents today feel pressure to “get it right,” trying every tip they see online—only to feel like failures when nothing works. But shame and exhaustion feed each other.

The truth is simple: if it’s safe and working for your family, it’s not wrong. Whether that means nursing, rocking, or bedsharing, the goal is not perfection—it’s protection of your rest. Sleep isn’t selfish; it’s survival.

You are not failing. You are tired, human, and worthy of support.

It all begins with an idea. I’ve been seeing more parents—especially mothers—facing what Lyndsey Hookway calls a sleep emergency. This isn’t the usual new-parent exhaustion; it’s when lack of restorative rest becomes unsustainable and overwhelming. A single 4–5 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep can sometimes be enough to reset your body and mind, helping you regain perspective and strength. If exhaustion feels unsafe or unmanageable, it’s time to reach out for professional help—you don’t have to navigate this alone.

When most parents hear “sleep associations,” they often think of bad habits—like feeding or rocking to sleep. But in reality, sleep associations are simply the cues that help babies connect with rest. Just like adults who have bedtime rituals, babies rely on predictable patterns to feel safe and ready for sleep. The key isn’t to eliminate them, but to notice which ones truly work for your family.