Maternal depression affects infants’ sleep
Reported May 08, 2009
LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Xinhua) — Babies born to depressed mothers are more likely to have sleep problems and early-onset depression during childhood, a new study has found.
In the first six months of life, these babies, affected by their mothers’ depression, took longer to fall asleep at night, slept in shorter bursts and less soundly than infants born to mothers not experiencing depression, according to the study published in the May issue of Sleep.
Over six months starting at two weeks following birth, the researchers at the Sleep and Chronophysiology Laboratory at the University of Michigan Depression Center monitored the sleep of 18full-term born children and their mothers for periods of seven consecutive days once a month.
The mothers — some of whom had no personal or family history of depression and others who had been diagnosed with depression or elevated depression symptoms — also kept journals about daily sleeping and waking patterns.
Though unsure of the cause of these disruptive sleep patterns, the researchers said they believe the condition and its consequences could be reversed in the child.
“We do think that we could develop a behavioral and environmental intervention to improve entertainment of sleep and circadian rhythms in the high-risk infants,” study lead author Roseanne Armitage said.
“They may still be modifiable, since brain regulation is very plastic and responsive in childhood.”
Past studies suggest that cortisol, a stress hormone produced in greater amounts by depressed women during pregnancy and after delivery, may affect the infant’s ability to sleep.
If infant sleep problems are not addressed, they can become long-term issues that can affect not only the child’s mental and physical health, but also the mother’s, past studies have shown.
This is a particular issue among people with maternal depression. The mother’s health could further deteriorate if her child’s sleep issues also cause her to lose valuable rest time.
The latest study suggested that future studies should examine whether infant sleep patterns can be modified and what are the best conditions for nighttime sleep.