Sleep and postpartum depression

What does it feel like to have postpartum depression? Is lack of REM sleep a cause of depression? Should you screen for postpartum depression? Can sleep deprivation cure depression?

Feeding, burping, rocking, and changing take time, and that round-the-clock schedule can lead many new parents to experience sleep deprivation.

The low-energy state usually disappears with extra rest, but sometimes, a lethargic feeling isn’t due to sleep at all—it’s a sign of postpartum depression (PPD). In women with postpartum depression , nighttime breastfeeding demands, high-needs infants, and little nighttime support may negatively impact on sleep quality and further exacerbate depressive symptoms. Women with PPD experienced poorer sleep quality than women without PP and sleep quality worsened with increasing PPD symptom severity. But it can also result in something you might not expect — depression.

Most new moms experience postpartum baby blues after childbirth , which commonly include mood swings, crying spells , anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Baby blues typically begin within the first two to three days after delivery, and may last for up to two weeks. Sleep deprivation may cause new mothers to experience a lack of energy and diminished ability to function during the day.

These issues may cause the development of postpartum depression , or they may increase postpartum depression symptoms if they are already present.

While all parents experience some form of sleeplessness , prolonged insomnia despite exhaustion is one of the many symptoms of postpartum depression , anxiety, OC and the other postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. If you’re doing all you’re supposed to do, including asking for help, trying to get sleep when the baby sleeps , and prioritizing sleep , you may need to look at the other symptoms of postpartum depression to see if something bigger is happening. Postpartum Depression and Poor Sleep Quality Occur Together In a new mother, sleep is disrupted by repeated awakenings of the infant, but hormonal factors also seem to play a role. Immediately after childbirth , levels of the reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone , drop precipitously. Postpartum Depression and Sleep Deprivation Studies have shown that about percent of women diagnosed with postpartum depression suffer from insomnia and feel the effects of being sleep deprived.

In fact, many people who suffer from depression - not only mothers - struggle with insomnia and the effects of sleep deprivation. Postpartum psychosis is a rare condition characterized by a more severe form of postpartum depression. It usually occurs during the first week of childbirth.

Symptoms may include sleep disturbances , obsessive thoughts over the new baby, disorientation and confusion, paranoia, delusional thinking, hallucinations, and suicide attempts or efforts to harm the new baby. Despite the large body of literature on sleep and mood disorders, the association between sleep disturbance and postpartum depression remains ambiguous. Postpartum depression is multifactorial in nature, and postpartum depression and sleep disturbances have many similar symptoms.

Feel Great, Look Just As Amazing! In fact, because they are sleep deprive new parents are typically able to fall asleep or return to sleep quickly when they have the opportunity. But because of the link between postpartum depression and insomnia, not to mention the other health concerns of a lack of sleep, it’s important to monitor behavior and know when to seek help. On the other han postpartum depression may aggravate an already impaired sleep quality, as experiencing difficulties with sleep is a symptom of depression.

It is important to identify maternal depression because of its negative effects upon both the mother and child.

Without help or treatment, the consequences may be prolonged and expensive for the women, for their families and in terms of the demands made on healthcare resources. The most typical occurrence that we see happening is sleep deprivation due to postpartum depression. Although casually regarded as a consequence of pregnancy or postpartum , there is emerging evidence to suggest that women with significant sleep disturbance, characterized by insomnia symptoms. It carries risks for the mother and child.

Women can also experience depression during pregnancy. A new study shows that depression symptoms worsen in PPD patients when their quality of sleep declines. One popular book on postpartum depression advises mothers to sleep apart from their infants for 8. Sleep in a separate area away from the baby and the adult on duty.

Use earplugs and a white noise machine…if necessary.