Prolonged Prenatal maternal sleep decreases episodes of postpartum depression: Study

The results of the study are as follows:

· Four bivariate postpartum depression and anxiety growth trajectories, including (a) high comorbidity (5.4%); (b) moderate comorbidity (19.4%); (c) low anxiety and decreasing depression symptomology (18.6%); and (d) low symptomology (56.6%).

· Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that mothers with shorter sleep durations during pregnancy were more likely to belong to the high comorbidity or moderate symptoms classes compared to the low symptomology class.

· In addition, mothers with higher WASO (i.e. lower sleep quality) at 3-months postpartum were more likely to belong to the moderate class compared to the low symptomology class.

· Higher diary-based wake after sleep onset (ie. lower sleep quality) at 3 months post-partum predicted more moderate anxiety and depression symptoms compared to low symptomology.

Thus, the researchers concluded that prenatal mothers with extended sleep time during pregnancy were not associated with high levels of anxiety and depression in the postpartum period. So, given the potential negative implications of disrupted sleep in the perinatal period, the present study may inform future intervention studies that target sleep problems during pregnancy.

Reference:

Prenatal maternal sleep and trajectories of postpartum depression and anxiety symptoms by Sela N et. al published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13258