Sleep disturbance among postpartum women

Sleep quality in women has been linked to changes in hormone levels due to the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and menopause. Postpartum women are more likely to experience sleep disturbances than any non-postpartum women, with the most reporting exhaustion during the first 3 postpartum months. The most common reasons for sleep disturbances are related to newborn sleep and feeding patterns. A sudden drop in placental hormones following birth, as well as the unpredictable sleep patterns of the newborn, contributes to the postpartum woman’s poor sleep and alteration of her circadian rhythm. Complaints about excessive sleepiness, fatigue and sleep loss should be evaluated by health care providers, considering the fact that they are potentially harmful to the newborn and relationship with postpartum depression. They should be treated with proper pharmacologic and/or nonpharmacologic approaches. Pharmacologic ones to sleep disturbances should be viewed with caution during lactation because of the risk to infant development.