Sleep Deprivation and Postpartum Depression

We spend about one-third of our life sleeping or at least attempting to sleep.

According to the CDC, adults normally need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night to feel fully rested. New parents rarely have that luxury. A third of US adults report that they usually get less than that recommended amount of sleep. Not getting enough sleep is linked with many chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.

There are two different types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM), known as dream sleep, and non-REM. Non-REM is made up of four stages. Moving through these four stages takes about 90 minutes, after which the body shifts into REM, the period in which most dreams occur. The entire cycle of four stages and a period of REM sleep is completed about four to six times a night, says Amy Wolfson, PhD, author of The Woman’s Book of Sleep (New Harbinger, 2001). REM segments last about 10 minutes at first and increase in length as the night wears on. Most of our deep, restorative sleep normally takes place during the first third of the night. Quality sleep – relates to the completion of your 90 minutes sleep cycle, — is as essential to survival as food and water.

Without restorative sleep our brain can quickly deteriorate. What we are finding is that we may not realize the harmful effects of broken or less than adequate sleep may have on us.

Those who have experienced sleep deprivation for extended periods of time can readily feel how impaired their judgment and performance is. However, new parents who are consistently experiencing sleep deprivation in smaller increments may somehow feel this is their “new normal” and may not realize the detrimental effects that can be taking place in their brains.

Sleep deprivation can affect how you think and cope. Concentration and reaction time are critical for safe driving. Imagine being sleep deprived, feeling like your “new normal”, and having to take your kids shopping or to their pediatrician visit. You could be driving and reacting the same way as someone who is drunk!

SO WHAT CAN HELP
• Share night shifts– Who is the night owl? Divide the night however it works for you. It could be 8PM-1AM or 1AM-6AM. Each of you take shifts, so you and your partner can each get a consolidated chunk of sleep.
• Power nap-Take a 20 minute nap taken during the day, but be sure to wake before you fall into a deep sleep. If you sleep past the 20 minutes you will fall into deep sleep and wake feeling groggy. See adult sleep cycle in Appendix XX
• Sleep when baby sleeps-the housework will still be there. You need to SLEEP
• Turn down the monitor. Newborns are noisy sleepers. If your baby is grumbling in the night, that doesn’t always mean you need to go check on them.
• No checking email before bed, electronic are not are friend before bed
• If you are a single parent, you are not alone. Ask for help from family or friends.
• Hire a Baby Nurse (Sweet Dreams Little Ones )

Many of today’s new families get less help from their traditional support teams. Some have followed the “job” and find themselves in different cities or even different countries when their babies are born. Being away from trusted families and friends during this joyful occasion can cause feelings of emotional stress and anxiety. Add these feelings with physical exhaustion and it can carry a very high price to our health.

Signs and symptoms of the Baby Blues
According to Mayo clinic, the majority of women experience at least some symptoms of the baby blues immediately after childbirth. It is a feeling caused by the sudden change in hormones after delivery, stress, isolation, sleep deprivation, and fatigue. You might cry for little or no reason, feel overwhelmed, and emotionally fragile. Generally, this will start within the first couple of days after delivery, peak around one week, and taper off by the end of the second week postpartum.

Signs and symptoms of Postpartum Depression
Unlike the baby blues, postpartum depression is a more serious problem that you shouldn’t ignore. Postpartum depression is described by many new moms as the “Baby Blues on Steroids,” a much more serious condition.

Symptoms can include:
• Feelings that you cannot take care of yourself or your family.
• Insomnia
• Intense irritability
• Loss of patience
• Overwhelming fatigue
• Lack of joy in life
• Crying
• Difficulty motivating yourself anything
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby

We are told to put our own oxygen mask on first. If you are not caring for yourself, how can you be expected to care for others? Any new parent who has symptoms of postpartum depression should take steps right away to get help. It is very important you don’t hide your feelings. Don’t try to do too much, or to be perfect. Talk with other mothers or join a support group. Call the confidential MOMS postpartum depression hotline at 866-364-MOMS.

The Center for disease Control reports 15% -20% of women, over one million in the US are effected by Postpartum Depression every year. Some studies estimate the number to be much higher since many women are embarrassed to admit there is a problem so many will go undetected. It is not your fault and you are not alone. Many physicians are concerned that women wait until their six week check -up to discuss these symptoms. It is important to seek help early and not wait. The sooner you get treatment the better. And most importantly know that what you are going through is temporary and treatable.

TIPS
• Ask your partner, family, and friends for help for you and your baby’s needs
• If you cannot find help with your family, make sleep a priority and hire it!
• Rest whenever or where ever you can. Sleep when the baby sleeps
• Turn down the monitor, babies are noisy sleepers. If you hear your newborn making lots of grunts and grown during the night it doesn’t mean you need to automatically run to care for him. Most babies will wake at the end of their 45-50 minute sleep cycle. They may just be re-adjusting. Give your baby a minute before assisting him during the night. This will help them learn to self soothe and eventually help them to sleep through the night.
• Make time to go out, visit friends, or spend time alone with your partner
• Connect with other moms, and know you are not alone
• Talk to your healthcare provider for medical options

Dads can get Postpartum Depression too!

While many symptoms of male postpartum depression are like those experienced by women –– fatigue, lack of motivation, feeling discouraged, there are some that are more specific to men, including violent behavior, a drive to constantly work, increased conflict with others, and uncharacteristic impulsiveness or risk-taking, says Dr. Sarah Allen, psychologist and director of the Postpartum Depression Alliance of Illinois. The shame that men so often associate with feelings of sadness or hopelessness only worsens their symptoms, she adds.
Dr. Allen explains that it’s often a combination of both physical and emotional triggers. “In women, it can be caused by hormonal changes, but the sleep deprivation caused by looking after a baby can be a huge trigger for both parents,” says Allen. “In terms of emotional triggers, there’s the sense of responsibility from keeping a little human alive; financial concerns, especially if the couple has lost the income of the parent staying home to look after the baby’ a feeling of isolation; and the loss of a sense of self, as you no longer have the time or the energy to do the things you used to love.
The Third Metric
In Arianna Huffington’s book,  Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, she talks about redefining what success means beyond money and power. Our current notion of success, Huffington says, is we drive ourselves into the ground, if not into the grave-in which working to the point of exhaustion and burnout is considered a badge of honor.

Working 16 hours a day and always being connected to our smartphones and laptops doesn’t leave us much time to be connected with our families. How long can we keep this pace up? Another result of our current toxic definition of success is an epidemic of addiction. More than twenty-two million people in the USA are using illegal drugs, more than twelve million are using prescription pain killers without medical reasons, and nearly nine million need prescription sleep aids to go to sleep. And the percentage of adults taking anti-depressants has gone up 400 percent since 1988, Huffington goes on to say.

In her new definition of success, Huffington says we need to do everything we can to nurture our human capital and include our own well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving to others as part of the “Third Metric” to success. Now that you are parents, priorities may need to change for you to realize your family is your most valuable capital.

“Family isn’t an important thing, -it’s everything”. Michael J Fox