Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a common childhood condition. A new study published in JAMA Dermatology study reports sleep disturbances were common among mothers of children with eczema.

This analysis used data from 11,649 mother-child pairs followed through age 11 and it suggests having a child with eczema was associated with reported difficulty falling asleep, subjectively insufficient sleep, and increased daytime exhaustion for mothers. The severity of a child’s eczema was associated with worse sleep outcomes for mothers.

However, sleep disturbances for children didn’t completely explain sleep disturbances for mothers so more research is needed to investigate other possible causes.

Self-reported sleep information is a limitation of the study.