Sleep and postpartum psychosis: a narrative review of the existing literature

Carr, Camilla, Borges, Daniela, Lewis, Katie, Heron, Jessica, Wilson, Sally, Broome, Matthew R., Jones, Ian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5821-5889, Di Florio, Arianna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0338-2748 and Morales-Muñoz, Isabel 2023. Sleep and postpartum psychosis: a narrative review of the existing literature. Journal of Clinical Medicine 12 (24) , 7550. 10.3390/jcm12247550

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Abstract

Sleep problems are extremely common during the postpartum period. The role of sleep in the development of postpartum psychosis (PP) is, however, still under-researched. This narrative review aims to (1) provide a summary of the existing evidence for the associations between sleep problems and PP, (2) discuss the relevant risk factors associated with sleep problems and PP, and (3) suggest future lines of research in this area. Some of the existing literature suggests an association between sleep problems, specifically insomnia, sleep loss and sleep disruption during pregnancy and postpartum, and PP, with the most relevant risk factors including history of bipolar disorder and time of delivery. However, it is still unclear whether the previously mentioned sleep problems are a symptom of, or a trigger for PP. Thus, further research is needed to identify the specific role of sleep problems in PP, using longitudinal designs and more objective measures of sleep. This will allow appropriate detection, intervention and support for women experiencing and/or at risk for PP.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2077-0383
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 December 2023
Date of Acceptance:	5 December 2023
Last Modified:	13 Dec 2023 11:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/164742

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