I’m So Tired: The Importance of Sleep

For so many in the postpartum period, sleep is elusive. People always say, “sleep when the baby sleeps,” but I never found that to be helpful, as I’m not a “napper” (definitely wish I had been in the postnatal period!) If you’re like me, you are finding sleep to be difficult to come with a new baby in tow. But we know that sleep helps regulate our mood and many of our hormones. Without adequate sleep we cannot think clearly, make sound decisions, and we may become irritable, angry, or sad. For those with a bipolar mood disorder, lack of sleep can make their mood cycle, putting them at incredible risk for becomming “sicker.” Sleep also is the time when our body works to heal itself, and following birth, our body needs to be able to work on tissue repair, hormone regulation, and restoring energy levels.

In the early days of postpartum, nighttime sweats, nursing/feeding sessions, worry- they can all cause us to lose sleep. I like to recommend that moms, especially moms that are struggling with mood, aim to get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. This can be difficult when we’re feeding on demand. I like to encourage moms to work with a partner, family member, or trusted friend to try to get someone else to take one of the feedings, so that mom can sleep for at least a four-hour stretch. Four hours doesn’t sound like much (of course we’d all like to get 8!), but just getting four hours of uninterrupted sleep can make a huge difference in mood and energy. Get creative in how you can make this happen. Is your parnter a night-owl? Maybe he/she can take the first shift so that you can sleep from 9pm-1am. Are you a night-owl? Maybe you take the first shift while partner sleeps, and partner then does the mid-night feeding. Keeping our babies fed and happy shouldn’t fall only on the mom. It’s ok to ask for help. If you need additional support, I’m only a message away.