Becoming a New Parent Isn’t Just Emotional — It’s Biological

Before my son was born this past December, I spent nearly two decades studying the stress response and how the human nervous system adapts to pressure. I thought I knew how to regulate my own system pretty well. After all, I co-founded Apollo Neuro to help people do exactly that.

But fatherhood? It rewired everything.

The Toll of Sleepless Nights and Constant Demand

Like most new parents, I found myself in a sleep-deprived fog. The round-the-clock feedings, the relentless schedule shifts ,and  the constant responsibility are exhilarating and beautiful, yes, but also deeply dysregulating.

I noticed my HRV (heart rate variability), a key marker of nervous system health, drop significantly. I became more irritable, less focused, and more emotionally reactive. Even with my background in psychiatry and neuroscience, I was struggling to stay centered. And I didn’t like how that was affecting the way I showed up—for myself, and for my family.

Rediscovering Apollo—As a Dad, Not a Doctor

This was the moment I stopped thinking of Apollo as a product and started experiencing it as a parent.

I began using SmartVibes religiously to automate my wind-downs and smooth out my morning wake-ups. What was most helpful was that every time I woke up in the night for a diaper change or to soothe a crying baby, the Stay Asleep Vibe turned on automatically, helping me fall back asleep quickly without having to think about it. While I never had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep from my intensive days in medical training, the effortlessness of SmartVibes has had a truly life-changing impact on my sleep as a new dad. Despite waking up several times a night, my HRV remains over 70ms and I’m getting over 50 minutes of extra sleep each night (that I would have to lost to staring at the ceiling waiting to fall back asleep) thanks to SmartVibes. The change wasn’t immediate, but it was real and noticeable within just a few days. My sleep improved, my mind cleared, and I felt a growing sense of emotional resilience and bounced back MUCH faster in the face of daily chaos.

Babies Feel Our Stress—And Our Calm

One of the most profound things I noticed? My son responded to my energy. On the days when I was more regulated and present, he was noticeably calmer. Less fussy. More at ease. This mirrored what we’ve seen in the research: nervous system regulation is contagious.

Supporting my own nervous system didn’t just help me—feeling more calm helped soothe my baby boy too.

Apollo Neuro: A Tool for Every Parent’s Toolkit

Apollo isn’t a magic fix—it’s a science-based wearable that helps your body access what it already knows: how to feel safe, calm, and balanced. For new parents, those states can feel impossibly far away. But they’re not. They’re trainable and we’re all born with the ability to access them with a little help from our friends.

If you’re navigating the early stages of parenthood, know this: You don’t have to go it alone. You can support your nervous system. You can come back to yourself. And when you do, you’ll be even more available for the ones who need you most. Yourself included.

Try It Yourself

If you’re curious about how Apollo Neuro works, I invite you to explore:
Learn more about Apollo’s modes and the science behind it → Our Science

And try Apollo Sessions for FREE on an iPhone near you today by downloading the app here → Apollo Sessions for iPhone

If you’re already using Apollo, try SmartVibes AI, the “Snoo for adults”, that dramatically improved my first-time dad experience and literally gave me hours of my life back each day! 

These have been my favorite Vibes over the last four months:

• Sleep – To fall asleep quickly and for better rest during fragmented sleep cycles

• Unwind – To quickly wind you down before bed or at the end of a long day

• Focus – For showing up sharp, calm, and clear when you’re running on little sleep
  

Final Thoughts: Rewriting the Story of Stress

Parenthood is a transformation of the mind and body. It will stretch you. It will change you. And that’s okay. But we can choose to move through that transformation with tools that help, not hinder, our nervous systems.

I created Apollo Neuro for everyone, but especially for moments like this. I just didn’t know how much I’d need it until I became a dad.

Happy Father’s Day!