Poor sleep in women with postnatal depression linked to depression

02 Jul 2009 - Posted by the Editorial Team

Postpartum women with insomnia may be more likely to suffer from depression, new findings have suggested.

A study published in the SLEEP journal concludes that women with postnatal depression may be "aggravating" sleep which is already adversely affected, with a lack of sleep one of the key indicators of depression.

Two months after the delivery of a child, it was discovered, poor sleep was linked to depression when adjusted for other risk factors including previous depression, a poor relationship with a partner and stressful life events.

Study lead author Karen Dorheim, of Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, explained that, while depression is not always identified by new mothers, poor sleep quality is a comparatively common complaint.

"It is important to ask a new mother suffering from tiredness about how poor sleep affects her daytime functioning and whether there are other factors in her life that may contribute to her lack of energy," she said.

Postnatal depression occurs in approximately ten to 15 per cent of new mothers.

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