Do you remember a wonderful night activity? This activity involves closing your eyes and remaining level for eight hours until sunrise? If you have children, you probably don’t remember. Studies have shown that new parents lose a lot of sleep each night and still experience sleep disruptions, such as revenge bedtime procrastination, years later. The good news is that there are strategies you can use to get the sleep you need. Here’s what you need to know to deal with sleep deprivation after having a baby.
How Do Sleep Cycles Work?
To solve the problem of sleep deprivation, you need to understand the sleep cycle. We often think of sleep as a stable, unchanging state of unconsciousness. But there are actually two different types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM), which is dream sleep, and non-REM sleep.
Non-REM sleep consists of three phases. The first stage is a state of drowsiness, when the body begins to relax and you are semi-aware of your surroundings. In the second stage, your body temperature drops, your heartbeat and breathing slow, and your eye movements stop. This stage we call “falling asleep”. The third stage is deep sleep; Breathing slows down and you don’t react to what’s happening around you. This is the most restorative stage of sleep.
It takes about 90 minutes to go through these three non-REM sleep stages, after which the body goes into REM sleep, and most dreams occur during this stage. You close your eyes and start spinning back and forth, as if you’re watching a movie, and your brain waves speed up. Dr. Amy ·, author of The Book of Women’s Sleep, says the entire sleep cycle is done about four to six times a night.
The REM phase initially lasts about 10 minutes and gradually increases in duration as the night progresses. Most of our deep restorative sleep usually occurs during the first third of the night, while dream sleep tends to focus on the morning.
Understand the Importance of Sleep
The effects of disconnected sleep are not just physically exhausting, but also affect the way you think and cope. Dr. Lauren Brecch, director of education and training at the Center for Sleep-Wakefulness Disorders at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said sleep deprivation not only shortens the amount of time spent in deep sleep, but also reduces the amount of time spent dreaming.
Dreams don’t just provide fodder for the next day’s contemplation. In fact, dreams play an extremely important role in our ability to think clearly. Dr. Margaret · Morin, director of the Center for Sleep-Wake Disorders, said that during REM sleep, the brain classifies memories and processes the day’s events. Lack of REM sleep can lead to memory loss and make tasks that require higher cognitive function more difficult, leaving you feeling absent-minded and lost (e.g., “Did I just change my diaper?”).
For parents, this can make a range of daily activities difficult – from paying bills to how to be patient with a grumpy toddler. In fact, when you’re exhausted, it’s much more difficult to use techniques such as distraction or humor (instead of yelling).
Other negative effects of sleep deprivation include:
- Increased risk of accidents. Lack of sleep can hinder reaction time, which can lead to unsafe activities such as driving and exercising.
- Mood changes. When you are extremely tired, you may feel irritable, emotional, and moody. You may lose your temper with friends and family very quickly. This can even escalate into anxiety and depression issues.
- Weakened immune system function. While sleeping, the body’s immune system works hard to produce antibodies against infection. Lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in the body’s defenses, which means a higher risk of contracting viruses such as the flu and the common cold.
- Weight gain. Sleep is associated with the production of two hormones that control hunger and satiety: leptin and ghrelin. Lack of sleep can throw these hormones out of balance, causing you to overeat. You may also not have the energy to exercise.
- Memory problems. During sleep, your brain forms connections that help you process and remember new information. Lack of sleep can disrupt these processes, leading to problems with both short- and long-term memory.
What Are the Sleep Patterns of Newborns Like?
It’s also important to know your baby’s sleep patterns, which are completely different from yours. They have shorter sleep cycles, with a higher percentage of REM sleep. This means that your newborn will wake up easily, sleep for a short period of time (no more than three to four hours), and maintain a relaxed, disordered “pattern” throughout the day.
Of course, if your baby wakes up, you wake up too, which means you have to feed and soothe them all night. Parents of newborns may be woken up two or three times within eight hours. This lack of sleep is more torturous than sleeping five hours in a row.
Why is the number of wake-ups more important than the total number of hours? First, sleep fragmentation leads to a significant reduction in the amount of time spent in deep sleep. This is because every time you get up and then go back to bed, you have to start your sleep cycle all over again, enter the light sleep stage, and then go back to deep sleep. The result: exhaustion.
How to Deal with Sleep Deprivation in Newborns?
No matter what is holding you back from entering a blissful unconscious state, there is always a way for you to live up to your sleep standards. Here’s how to get restful sleep, as well as tips to combat the effects of sleep deprivation in newborns.
Make up for lost sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep after having a baby, you can make up for some of the sleep you missed. Dr. Maureen says that when a chronically sleep-deprived person finally falls asleep, the brain compensates for deep sleep and REM sleep. You’ll spend more time in deep sleep and REM sleep than usual, but at the expense of the lightest stages of sleep. A little more sleep on weekends — say, two or three hours — is beneficial. But don’t let a little more sleep turn into a sleep spree. Sleeping too much can trigger a whole new cycle of sleep deprivation because you don’t feel tired while you sleep.
Take a nap. New parents shouldn’t try to be more productive while their baby is napping. A 20- to 30-minute nap can refresh you without the sleep inertia, which is the feeling of waking up groggy and confused. Most people (not just new parents) can benefit from a short nap. But don’t sleep until 2 or after 3 p.m.; This may interfere with your bedtime. If your baby doesn’t have a regular nap time, you can use the help of friends and family. Let someone hold your baby and play with him while you take a break.
Weigh feeding in the middle of the night. When half of the new parent team is working outside the home, the home half can easily take on all the breastfeeding work so that the “working” half gets up in the morning. But feeding around the clock can lead to severe sleep deprivation. It may make more sense to take turns feeding, with one person doing all the feeding and the other sleeping. This way, at least one person can get a good night’s sleep instead of both of you sleeping incompletely. Breastfeeding parents can consider expressing breast milk so that another person can be responsible for at least one night feeding.
Turn down the monitor. Newborns are active when they sleep. If your baby moans or whimperes at night, it doesn’t mean you need to jump out of bed. By 6 months of age, most babies are able to sleep for seven to eight hours straight. To encourage your baby to fall back to sleep on their own in the middle of the night (instead of crying to you), put them to bed while they are still awake. Getting them to wean off any strategies you use to soothe them to sleep (such as breastfeeding or shaking) will teach them not to rely on these strategies when they wake up.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Whether you have children or not, eating a balanced diet and staying active are key to staying energized. Healthy foods boost your metabolism, so start your day with a nutritious breakfast and make time to fuel your body with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Dehydration can also make you feel tired, so drink plenty of water and avoid excessive caffeine intake – this can actually lead to more fatigue.
Ask for help. If you are very overwhelmed or exhausted, a relative or friend may be able to help you with childcare or household chores. Be clear about your needs and outsource as much as possible.
Get yourself a good night’s sleep. To help you fall asleep faster, don’t eat large meals before bed, don’t do stressful tasks at night, and don’t consume caffeine within six hours of bedtime. Your bedroom should also be a quiet, dark, gentle haven for sleep. Use blackout curtains, turn off bright alarm clocks, and use white noise machines if necessary. Establishing a sleep routine — like reading a book or taking a bath — signals to your body that it’s time to sleep, which may also help you fall asleep faster.
Could It Be Postpartum Depression?
While “postpartum blues” are common among new parents, according to a study by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in eight people who have recently experienced a live birth may experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD). These symptoms may include anger, worry, sadness, and anxiety, as well as guilt and doubts about your ability to care for your baby. Sleep deprivation is a risk factor for depression, and it can also exacerbate PPD symptoms in new parents.
While it can be difficult to tell the difference between the side effects of sleep deprivation and postpartum depression, you should talk to your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms such as anxiety or panic attacks, frequent crying, loss of appetite, mood swings, or loss of interest in things you usually enjoy.