Women’s Sleep Habits Linked to Mood

When mom doesn’t get enough sleep, the whole family suffers. In women, there’s a definite connection between sleep and mood. Worry, stress and anxiety can interfere with sleep, and sleep problems can increase depression and anxiety symptoms. According to a 2007 National Sleep Foundation study on women’s sleep habits, the relationship between sleep and mood is bi-directional. More than half of the women surveyed in the NSF poll said they had felt unhappy, sad or depressed in the past month, and one-third (36%) had felt hopeless about the future. Most reported problems sleeping, and 40% had been diagnosed with a sleep disorder.

Biology affects a woman’s sleep habits. The NSF study analyzed sleep patterns at each stage of a woman’s life:

• Menstruation. Menstruating women slept longest, averaging 7 hours, 32 minutes of shut-eye; however, 67% reported insomnia several nights a week. One-third experienced sleep problems during their cycle.
• Pregnancy. Women got more sleep during pregnancy than at any other time — approximately 8 hours, 14 minutes per night — although 84% complained of insomnia several nights a week and 30% said they never got a good night’s sleep.
• Post Partum. Women slept least — an average 7 hours, 46 minutes — after childbirth. Nearly half (47%) reported never getting a good night’s sleep, and 84% experienced chronic insomnia, 90% related to child care. Two in every 10 women experienced post partum blues or depression.
• Perimenopausal. During menopausal transition, women got the least amount of sleep (7 hours, 12 minutes). More than half (59%) reported insomnia a few nights each week; and 43% experienced a sleep disorder, hot flashes or night sweats that interfered with sleep.
• Postmenopausal. Postmenopausal women slept an average 7 hours, 19 minutes but had the highest incidence of sleep disorders (50%) and insomnia (61%). Forty-one percent used a sleep aid several nights a week.

Because of the link between sleep and mood, psychiatric treatment that addresses both issues through cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy can be most effective. A board-certified psychiatrist like Dr. Tracey Marks with considerable experience treating sleep disorders can help you find workable and lasting solutions to sleep better and enjoy life more.

Mother’s Depression May Produce Child’s ADHD

A study out of the University of Manitoba conducted by Ann Guevremont MEd. and Marni Bromwell PhD. concluded that depression in a woman occurring at anytime between one year before and nine years after birth is a risk factor for the child later developing ADHD. They also found the chances of the child developing ADHD is greater the more chronic the depression. In fact, maternal depression increased the chances 1.5 -2 fold.

I’m not sure what to make of this information. There have been previous studies linking maternal depression and ADHD, but this is the first that has established a time frame for which the maternal depression impacts the child.

This data suggests that ADHD is not solely biological since the mother’s mental condition even after birth can influence the development of ADHD. It makes me wonder how much of a role maternal nurturance and attention to the child play in the child’s ability to focus and attend to things. If a depressed mother doesn’t pay enough attention to her child because she is depressed, does the child compensate for this in a way that causes them to have trouble with attention or impulsivity?

Many more questions need to be answered about this. But for now, it emphasizes the importance of mental health before and after pregnancy. Many women go undiagnosed and suffer silently. But knowing a mother’s mental state can have a far reaching impact on her family, perhaps more women will talk with their doctors about how they feel and more clinicians will be more vigilant in screening for maternal depression even years after childbirth.