Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Sleep Disruptions May Be Cause Of Blues In New Moms IOWA CITY, IA. -- October 15, 1997 -- Every mom knows that after giving birth, sleep is a precious commodity. Fatigue and emotional fluctuations are part of the experience. Everyone knows it, but according to Michael O'Hara, University of Iowa professor of psychology, no one has documented the effect of post-birth sleep patterns on thought processes and mood. O'Hara and colleagues did the study and the results are published in the September issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. The researchers followed 30 women who had just given birth and 28 non-pregnant women for three weeks. During that period, they kept track of the time the women went to bed, the occurrence and duration of sleep interruption, time of morning awakening, morning alertness and naps taken. Memory, attention and concentration and motor function were measured in the two groups of women on three occasions during the study. O'Hara found women who had just given birth had more interruptions in their sleep during the night than did controls, but they compensated for it by sleeping later in the morning and by taking naps, especially during the first week postpartum. Therefore, the overall amount of sleep per day was the same for both groups. In addition, new moms reported being as alert as control group women and showed no decrease in memory, attention or concentration. "It is important that women find ways to compensate for interruptions in nightly sleep, but they have to be in a social system that allows it," O'Hara explained. However, getting the same amount of sleep is not the same as getting quality sleep. Women who had just given birth reported having a depressed mood one week following birth. This is a commonly reported phenomenon, called the blues, and often believed to be due to hormonal changes. However, O'Hara found negative mood during the day was directly associated with duration of nighttime interruptions in sleep and sleep quality as rated by the women. These findings suggest sleep quality plays an important role in mood fluctuations, particularly in the first week following childbirth. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version