The postpartum period can be barraged with different types of problems. One of these problems is postpartum insomnia. You must’ve gotten a vague idea about it now. If you were wondering what exactly it is and how it is treated then you are at the right place. Additionally, we should tell you that insomnia in postpartum can be a very serious condition and we’ll tell you why that is the case in the words below:

What is Postpartum Insomnia?

First, we’ll dissect the term postpartum insomnia part by part. Insomnia is defined as a sleep disorder where a person has difficulty falling or staying asleep, and the overall quality of their sleep is poor. Postpartum is the term used to describe the crucial period that comes 4 to 8 weeks after pregnancy and childbirth. During the postpartum period after childbirth, women transition physically, mentally, and emotionally through tense changes. All of this can be daunting and can therefore affect an affected woman’s healthy sleep patterns. This is what we call postpartum insomnia. When you or someone you know is suffering from postpartum insomnia, it can drag on for months.

Recent studies point toward the fact that perinatal or postpartum insomnia is a common occurrence. The percentage of people dealing with insomnia is more significant in this population than in the general population of women of childbearing age ⁽¹⁾.

Postpartum Insomnia Symptoms

• Women will have trouble sleeping postpartum and it will be exacerbated by depression, which can also come into existence as a postpartum side effect. You will feel tired when getting into bed, but then, and when you are fully laid in your bed, your brain won’t turn off, which is why you won’t be able to fall asleep. In many cases, this can lead to staying in bed for several hours before you finally fall asleep, and that further impacts your sleep patterns.

• You will go to bed and fall asleep immediately but then for sure, you will end up waking up within a few hours and finding it difficult to go back to sleep once you are awake.

• This symptom list also includes waking up too early. This is where you go to bed at the same time, fall asleep immediately, and not wake up every couple of hours. However, you will likely wake up several hours before you need to, no matter how exhausted you feel, and be unable to go back to sleep.

• Sometimes you will wake up feeling like you didn’t get any sleep at all.

Due to these symptoms, insomnia in the postpartum period is highly debilitating to the sufferer and is so much that it affects daily life. Something that is critical to your daily life and you have a newborn at the same time, makes it an extremely dangerous situation to have. With a newborn in cod, all your focus should be on that but with the affliction of this post partum insomnia, it can be difficult to do that.

Risk Factors Associated With Postpartum Insomnia?

When women are going through the phase of reproductive transition, which includes the postpartum phase, they are bound to feel something. Pregnant women who are suffering from insomnia are more likely to experience complications like:

• Preterm birth
• Gestational hypertension
• Maternal psychiatric conditions like postpartum depression

Furthermore, it can also cause severe depression, postpartum insomnia, and anxiety. In addition to that, women bear the weight of psychosocial and physiological changes that take place during the postpartum period apart from the weight of the child, which can contribute to the development or sustainment of more intense postpartum insomnia symptoms.

What Causes Postpartum Insomnia?

Are you asking about what causes postpartum insomnia then there are some usual suspects. The whos and whos of causes that essentially lead to the said affliction. These include:

• increased frequency of stressors
• caregiving for a new infant
• hormonal imbalance, such as of the one called progesterone (a female sex hormone with sleep-inducing qualities) or melatonin (a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness to encourage sleepiness and relaxation)
• new or previously diagnosed mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression

Experts believe post partum insomnia is also caused by postpartum thyroiditis which approximately 10% of women tend to have after childbirth. Postpartum thyroiditis is the inflammatory autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland. This gland is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that makes thyroid hormone, which sets the metabolism, or how the entire body processes energy. During its first stage, thyrotoxicosis, the thyroid hormone increases vastly in the bloodstream, leading to symptoms such as a fast heart rate, anxiety, irritability, and fatigue, but in addition to that, it also causes postpartum insomnia.

Changes To Prevent Postpartum Insomnia

Have you been noticing signs and symptoms related to postpartum insomnia? If yes, then you can help prevent it by making a few changes in your lifestyle.

Changing your infant’s sleep and intake patterns

By changing the intake and sleep patterns of your infant you can decrease the amount of interruptions that cause insomnia in postpartum. Avoiding things like caffeine or heavy meals in the hours before bedtime and keeping screens out of the bedroom, are a great place to start when practicing good sleep hygiene.

Follow a Regular Routine

Another way you can change the symptoms related to postpartum insomnia is by following a routine that not just revolves around the child but also your well-being. For example, it would be following a diet plan, participating in an exercise regimen, and sleeping timely.

When these lifestyle changes don’t work, you can always go for psychotherapy or certain medications, which are also considered to be the true postpartum insomnia treatment methods:

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication

Melatonin is the key ingredient that helps make your sleep possible. People with sleep problems such as postpartum insomnia are low on this chemical. Melatonin is also available as an over-the-counter (OTC) supplement that some people take to help with sleep but do note that it is yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration authority.

Additionally, prescription medications, like antidepressants and sedatives, are also available for treating short- and long-term insomnia. Furthermore, OTC sleep aids with antihistamines can do a lot for you. But both of these come with side effects. Consult an expert for recommendations.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

CBTs are a type of psychotherapy that puts patients in the therapist’s seat where they talk about their problems and try to come to terms with the problem they are afflicted with. It teaches you techniques to deal with it, such as relaxation, coping, and stress management during the sessions. Recent studies are big-time fans of CBT as an effective treatment for postpartum insomnia ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾. This brief intervention targets the causes of your insomnia.

Wrapping Up

We hope that you have understood what exactly postpartum insomnia is and how it can be treated. If treatment for postpartum insomnia that involves lifestyle changes is not working, why not give a chance to Solid Foundation Psychiatry as it is capable of treating different mental conditions like schizophrenia, psychosis, PTSD, or ADHD with the help of alternative treatment methods like telepsychiatry? We are looking forward to meeting you in person or seeing you online!

References and Footnotes:

1. Swanson LM, Kalmbach DA, Raglan GB, O’Brien LM. Perinatal Insomnia and Mental Health: a Review of Recent Literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2020 Oct 26;22(12):73. doi: 10.1007/s11920-020-01198-5. PMID: 33104878; PMCID: PMC9109228.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33104878/
2. Swanson LM, Kalmbach DA, Raglan GB, O’Brien LM. Perinatal Insomnia and Mental Health: a Review of Recent Literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2020 Oct 26;22(12):73. doi: 10.1007/s11920-020-01198-5. PMID: 33104878; PMCID: PMC9109228.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33104878/
3. Verma S, Quin N, Astbury L, et al. Treating postpartum insomnia: a three arm randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy and light dark therapy. Psychological Medicine. 2023;53(12):5459-5469. doi:10.1017/S0033291722002616
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36082412/