While our lifestyle is often responsible for our difficulty in getting to sleep, hormonal imbalances caused by pregnancy or following childbirth could also be the cause.
Insomnia is a problem that can have many origins. If our lifestyle is often responsible for our difficulties in getting to sleep, for women, hormonal imbalances caused by the onset of menopause, pregnancy and following childbirth could also be involved. It is a problem that affects more than 10% of the adult population. It results in a decrease in the quantity and quality of sleep (difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal awakenings, early morning awakening, etc.). Sleep is then experienced as non-restful. The day is accompanied by fatigue, drowsiness and the insomniac is often irritable. Warning! We speak of insomnia when it is chronic and disrupts everyday life.
In the case of an expecting mother: While it had been gradually increasing throughout these nine months, your progesterone level drops in the within a few hours after delivery of the placenta. Youunderstand that faced with such a hormonal upheaval, your internal clock as well as your emotions are greatly disturbed. Pregnancy fatigue, waking up to breastfeed, weakness from bleeding and slow blood circulation all naturally lead to reactions like mood swings, insomnia, and more. In addition to this physical fatigue, the young mother may feel very tired.
Sleep deprivation can be important and influence the general balance. A third of the women surveyed complained of insufficient rest and 11% mentioned a major lack of sleep. One in five had regular sleepless nights in the eight weeks following birth. Sometimes the circumstances were truly exhausting, with some babies waking up to fifteen times a night. These restless nights had an impact on the mood, but also on the performance of the mothers: 58% said they had difficulty performing simple tasks during the day. In some cases, the lack of sleep is so great that driving becomes comparable to that observed after drinking alcohol. (Source: Edinburgh Sleep Center Researcher Dr Heather Engleman).
What remedy for this chronic lack of sleep? Take advantage of the child's moments of sleep to sleep during the day, even if this leads to neglecting household chores for some time. Above all, do not hesitate to ask for help, because the concrete consequences must not be overlooked. What can sleep deprivation have? To prevent it from having too profound an effect on the psychic balance and daily security, it is essential that the entourage and the mother take care to spare themselves moments of rest.
Parents should not hesitate to consult if nocturnal awakenings are too frequent or persist beyond the first few weeks. Finally, it is important that the mother also goes for a consultation if she feels exhausted, unable to manage daily life. In fact, postpartum depression is common and can lead by itself to a continual and irrepressible need to sleep.
Lifestyle problems can also be the cause of these difficulties falling asleep. Thus, the excessive consumption of stimulants (coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco) or the fact of eating too much or not enough in the evening can be responsible for difficulties in finding sleep. Lack of physical activity or, on the contrary, excessive physical activity can also be the cause. Insomnia can be associated with certain organic diseases (asthma, ulcer, etc.) or with taking stimulating drugs (cortisone, beta-blockers, etc.) that disturb sleep. We must not forget the causes simply related to the environment: noisy or too bright bedroom, poor quality bed base or mattress, new responsibilities, such as having a baby, a child who will grow up, fears, perhaps to be, not to be a good parent, etc.
Insomnia can sometimes have a causeorganic, such as restless leg syndrome. Restless legs syndrome is common in pregnant women and people over the age of 60. It results in burning sensations, annoyances, tingling (paresthesia) in the legs at bedtime. These sensations force the person to get up, walk, refresh their legs in the shower and prevent them from falling asleep. This syndrome is accompanied by periodic movements of the legs during the night, which can bother the spouse. These restless leg problems are usually brought to light through the testimony of the spouse. In hypnosis, I work to further relax all those muscles and nerves using visualization. Just the fact of bringing my patients into a state of trance, they feel the beneficial effects from the first session.
The psychological aspect should not be put aside either. In a large number of cases, insomnia is in fact linked to a traumatic episode (surgery, childbirth, etc.) which, although passed, left a sleepless night's anxiety. As soon as the person goes to bed, the awakening systems are activated, preventing sleep. Underlying depression issues as well as anxiety and stress are also major causes of insomnia. (Source Dr. Alain Dubos).
For new parents, the phone that keeps ringing and the many visits obviously don't help… But how do you get all these enthusiastic people to understandthat you just want a little peace? It's dad's role to put the kibosh on it: you need rest first and those around you will have plenty of time to get to know baby later! Photos and videos don't don't exist for nothing!
In addition to all the useful information I give you during my HypnoBirth classes, these help you throughout your pregnancy to find calm and sleep. By teaching yourself self-hypnosis and freeing yourself from the fears and worries that may arise during pregnancy, you can regain restful sleep. Self-hypnosis is a very effective way to find inner harmony and if necessary, I work directly on sleep. Self-hypnosis is highly valued even after the baby is born. I actually work with some moms on self-confidence, “up and down” emotions, refocusing on yourself, etc. By practicing self-hypnosis every day, you optimize your rest periods, which allows you to be calmer and take good care of the greatest gift that life can give you, your baby!
Here are some testimonials:
“Compared to my first pregnancy (without hypnosis), I can say that there are two words that I eliminated almost entirely from my vocabulary after the birth of my second boy; "fatigue and stress". I feel calmer and less tense, I recovered much faster in the post-birth period thanks to hypnosis. My baby hasbeen able to take advantage of all these benefits, because my general condition was felt on him too. What a beautiful bond!!! …Indeed, as expected, I was provoked on Thursday, July 14, but this time, nothing comparable to the first baby… labor began around noon and at 3:57 a.m. little Antoine showed up…15 short minutes flare-ups, no tears, no cuts and ABOVE ALL, NO EPIDURALS!!! What a difference it makes on the baby's behavior… a super awake “ti-boutte” who takes the breast so well…” Christine, Laval
“For my part, it was self-hypnosis that allowed me to rest well during my pregnancy, to remain calm and to recover well after childbirth. Counting to 5 and being so quickly in a state of deep relaxation allowed me to rest in just a few minutes. Also, having learned to drive away my fears through hypnosis and to visualize events as I wanted them to happen allowed me to remain calm, confident and serene despite my difficult pregnancy. » Ariane, Terrebonne.
