Poor sleep and postpartum depression
You can count the new moms who get a good night’s sleep on the fingers of one finger and now new European research links the resultant fatigue with postpartum depression in the weeks and months following the birth of your baby.
The study, published in the July 1 issue of the journal
Sleep, suggests that postpartum depression may aggravate an already impaired sleep quality, given that difficulty sleeping is one of the main symptoms of depression. In the study, 21% of depressed new moms said they had also experienced depression during their pregnancy and 46% reported at least one previous depressive episode prior to conception, suggesting that new moms diagnosed with postpartum depression aren’t just suffering the effects of chronic sleep deprivation.
The average reported nightly sleep duration was 6.5 hours and the study results show that two months after the birth, poor sleep was associated with depression when adjusted for other significant risk factors, such previous depression, prenatal depression, stressful life events and relationship problems. Sleep disturbances and sleep quality were the aspects of sleep most strongly associated with depression. Overall, nearly 60% of the women suffered poor sleep quality, and 16.5% had symptoms of depression.
According to lead author Karen Dørheim, MD, PhD, psychiatrist at Stavanger University Hospital in Norway, depression after delivery is often not identified by new moms, whereas tiredness and lack of sleep are common complaints. These symptoms may be attributed to poor sleep, but the tiredness could also be caused by depression.
Depression, previous sleep problems, being a first time mom, not exclusively breastfeeding or having a younger or male infant were factors associated with poor postpartum sleep quality. Better maternal sleep was associated with the baby sleeping in a different room.
According to the study authors, women who are tired during the first 12 weeks after their baby’s birth may blame poor sleep, but it’s possible their tiredness could be caused by depression.
It’s vital that you get help if you think you may be depressed after your baby’s birth. Symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, a loss of pleasure in things you used to enjoy, and difficulty in concentrating. If you think you may be depressed, speak to your doctor about treatment options. It’s vital that you get as much sleep as you can after your baby’s birth but this is easier said than done. Be easy on yourself when it comes to chores and take the opportunity to rest while your baby naps. Arrange for your partner to give your baby his last feed of the night (express breast milk if you are breastfeeding) so that you can go to bed early and get a sustained period of sleep in before your baby wakes for his early morning feed.