Postpartum women with insomnia what to do?

Insomnia in postpartum women is relatively common. So what should postpartum women with insomnia do and is there a way to treat insomnia for postpartum women?

From the time of pregnancy (usually at 32 weeks onwards), women have to deal with insomnia and continue until after giving birth. The average sleep time in a day of postpartum women gradually decreased from about 30 minutes to 2 years after giving birth.

Insomnia in postpartum women is a condition where even though the baby has slept very well, the mother still cannot sleep. Not only insomnia, women also feel restless, anxious, awake, often wake up to check if the baby is crying or having other problems.
Sleep in postpartum women is characterized by light sleep, even a small noise can wake the mother. Postpartum women with insomnia are also accompanied by manifestations of postpartum depression such as mood swings, excessive anxiety, always feeling sad, easily agitated.
Although, this is a common condition, but if postpartum women have insomnia, they need to see a doctor for health care advice and support, to avoid prolonged sleep problems that can increase the risk of risk of cardiovascular disease such as blood pressure or mental illness such as depression.
Watch now: Is postpartum insomnia dangerous?

Postpartum women lose sleep can be due to the following reasons:
Hormonal changes: Certainly, a woman's body undergoes many changes from pregnancy to postpartum, including changes hormonal effects, especially low estrogen levels. It is the cause of sleep disturbance, irritability, constant anxiety, leading to postpartum depression in women. Night sweats: Not only changes, postpartum hormones also do the extra task of eliminating substances produced during pregnancy, so postpartum women's insomnia is often caused by the body. sweating profusely at night. Mood swings: Frequent anxiety, stress or obsession are emotions women may experience after giving birth. These emotions are indicative of syndromes such as postpartum depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition can affect sleep and cause insomnia. Wake up to breastfeed, put the baby to sleep: During the first few weeks after giving birth, women have to stay up at night to breastfeed or comfort the baby when the baby cries. When having to wake up in the middle of the night many times and in a row, women will find it difficult to go back to sleep, gradually disrupting sleep.

First, postpartum women with insomnia can apply some of the following ways to overcome and improve their sleep:
Take advantage of sleeping at the same time as the baby: Instead of taking advantage of the time the baby sleeps to do At work, the mother should take advantage of rest and nap at the same time as the baby. Going to bed earlier: Postpartum women with insomnia can go to bed earlier than usual in the first few weeks so that their health can recover soon and do not affect sleep. If you still find it difficult to sleep, you can take a hot bath, drink warm herbal tea, read a gentle book to sleep better. Share the housework and babysitting: When the baby wakes up in the morning, women should ask or ask her husband to check the baby's diaper so that he can sleep a little more. With bottle-fed babies, mom or anyone can breastfeed, so share this part of the work with your husband or loved ones, helpers to do other things or sleep when tired. Learn about newborn knowledge to understand your baby: Newborns usually feed and sleep about 2-3 hours in the first few weeks, so postpartum women lose sleep due to waking up many times to feed their babies in the morning. night and lead to insomnia is quite common. However, as the baby gets older, the time it takes for the baby to suckle and sleep will be longer. At that time, the child will be less awake at night. Learning knowledge about babies will help parents arrange and plan the day's work so that they can rest reasonably, without affecting sleep. Avoid postpartum stress: Frequent anxiety, postpartum stress is an understandable problem. However, it is necessary to limit this situation so as not to affect sleep and health. Going for a walk, meditating or listening to soothing music are all possible ways to fall asleep easier and sleep more deeply.

Avoid drinking a lot of coffee during the day: Many postpartum women with insomnia have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning, however, this is a habit that can cause insomnia at night. Therefore, it is necessary to limit coffee consumption or gradually reduce the amount of caffeine until you can give up coffee so as not to affect sleep. Limit the use of electronic devices before bed: Using phones, working with computers or watching TV before bed can stimulate the brain and make postpartum women insomnia. In addition, blue light from electronic devices also reduces an active substance called melatonin, which makes it difficult to sleep. Do some muscle relaxation and deep breathing: Try some muscle relaxation and deep breathing to help your body quickly fall asleep.

If after trying the above methods, the insomnia still persists, see your doctor for advice on treatment with appropriate therapies such as:
Herbal tea: Some herbal teas such as: Chamomile tea, lavender tea have the effect of improving insomnia and reducing symptoms of postpartum depression. Try these teas for 2 weeks and don't take them for a long time as its effects only last for 4 weeks. Acupressure: This is a treatment for insomnia for postpartum women that has been studied with a treatment period of about 2 weeks and performed 4 times a day to see an improvement in sleep disorders. Back massage: A gentle back massage for about 20 minutes every evening and done for 5 days in a row is said to improve sleep. Mineral supplements: Some minerals play an important role in sleep and nervous system such as iron, magnesium, ... Take these minerals through meals or synthetic supplements to improve Postpartum women lose sleep and relieve symptoms of depression. Sleeping pills, sedatives: Some gentle sleeping pills can be prescribed by doctors to treat insomnia in postpartum women. However, the active ingredient diphenhydramine, the main ingredient in hypnotics, can inhibit breast milk production, so this therapy should be considered. Cognitive-behavioral therapy: This therapy has been studied to help improve insomnia and depressive syndromes in postpartum women. Insomnia after giving birth can make the body tired and quickly debilitated, if left for a long time, it will cause the body to face many serious health problems. So, learn and try some remedies and therapies (prescribed by your doctor) to put an end to this condition.