![]() Keep A Sleep DiaryĮven after getting into bed at a decent hour and implementing my sleep hygiene practices, I still sometimes have a hard time falling asleep. Just as we help our babies learn to sleep, we also have to retrain ourselves sometimes. While I am still having issues with getting enough sleep, I am doing far better ever since I started making a conscious effort to tackle the problem. A medical doctor or mental health therapist can determine whether postpartum insomnia is a symptom of a larger issue. Sleep problems after childbirth can also be a symptom of postpartum depression and other mood disorders. Postpartum Depression and Other Mental Health Issues Impacting Sleep And I did not get my period until well after a year post-birth, so this indicates to me that my body was still going through a lot of changes. Especially with breastfeeding, my mind and body did not feel like they really belonged to me. ![]() While I do not know all the details of hormonal changes after childbirth, I know that I didn’t feel quite myself for a long time after having my son. Now I wake up to the slightest sound or movement in a room. Romper explains that a new mother’s hyper-vigilance as she learns to care for a new baby can trigger the body’s “flight or fight” response and a release of sleep inhibiting adrenaline. The SleepFoundation discusses how hormones progesterone and melatonin levels drop postpartum, which impacts our ability to sleep.Īdditionally, Romper states that the hormone oxytocin increases after childbirth, and that this can cause hyper-arousal and trouble settling down at night.Īnd adrenaline is another hormone that may come into play when it comes to postpartum insomnia. Possible Causes for Postpartum Insomnia Hormonal Changes Impacting Sleep MichiganMedicine explains that aside from the stress of becoming a parent and taking care of a newborn, sleep problems may develop due to shifting hormones and changes in the brain. There can be a number of issues that contribute to the development of sleep problems after childbirth. What to Expect explains that it can either be short term (fewer than 3 months) or long term (3 months plus). While not an official clinical diagnosis, the term “postpartum insomnia” is used to refer to difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep after childbirth. Apparently my issue is one that many women encounter after childbirth. Was my internal clock permanently disrupted? Were my hormones still shifting? Was I innately wired as a mother to now wake up to the sound of a pin drop? Was I simply not disciplined enough to work out a new sleep schedule? What was going on? What is Postpartum Insomnia?Īs I began to try and understand why I was having so much trouble sleeping, I came across the term “postpartum insomnia”. There is a reason keeping someone from sleep is a form of torture! For anyone who has experienced ongoing sleep problems, I do not need to describe what it feels like. I was also starting to feel the toll that long term sleep deprivation was taking on me mentally, physically and emotionally. And because I could no longer excuse my poor sleep habits on a frequently waking baby, I realized I had a problem. ![]() I did not know that postpartum insomnia was something that many new mothers struggle with. When my son finally did start sleeping through the night though, I was surprised to find myself continuing to struggle with falling asleep and staying asleep at night. I assumed I would get back on a regular sleep schedule once my son started sleeping through the night. So I did not worry too much that first year about my sleep habits, as I was caught up in the haze of new motherhood and figuring out how to take care of a baby. Night feeds and wake ups are just a part of the initiation process into parenthood. During the first year of my child’s life, I told myself that sleep deprivation was normal.
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