Sleep Deprivation Shouldn't Be Considered 'The Norm' For Parents

During your pregnancy and shortly after your child’s birth, there are many anecdotes, words of wisdom, and advice regarding your future as it comes to sleep. Or really, lack thereof. “Enjoy the sleep while you can!” “You can sleep when they move out of the house!” “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” Sounds familiar? Many new parents hear these examples and more, and unfortunately, they can end up feeling the unsettling weight of those words if they experience consistent sleep deprivation before and after the birth of their child. While many of those sentiments are imparted with a smile and perhaps a laugh, not getting enough sleep is no laughing matter. Parents who experience chronic sleep deprivation, meaning getting less sleep than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night over a period of at least a week, are more likely to experience postpartum depression, whether it is clinically diagnosed, or attributed to the popular term:"baby blues". Chronic sleep deprivation can negatively impact you in several ways. It can negatively impact your mood and cognitive abilities. Many people seem more accepting of the mood swings of the newly postpartum mothers due to the huge influx of hormones that get released after the birth of their child. Additionally, the stresses of raising young children are oftentimes celebrated and touted as signs of solidarity among parents, but many studies show that moms whose babies have sleep problems are at greater risk for postpartum d...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news