Sleep Loss and Postpartum Weight

Mothers who get less than 6 hours of sleep at night in the first 6 months postpartum have a harder time losing their pregnancy weight.

Are you finding that you can't lose your pregnancy weight after the baby is born? Are you also struggling with a loss of sleep? Well, the two may in fact be related according to a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Nearly 1,000 mothers participated in this Boston study between 1999-2002. The mothers who slept less than 6 hours each night during the first 6 months postpartum were 2.3 times more likely than the mothers who got 7 hours of sleep to retain at least 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds) of weight at the one year mark.

This study confirms other studies which correlate a lack of sleep to other types of weight gain. How important, then, is getting enough sleep as compared to exercise and nutrition in losing pregnancy weight?

Researchers note that, "getting enough sleep may be as important as a healthy diet and regular physical activity in preventing excess weight retention after childbirth."

Brenda