Can Lack of Sleep Affect Your Milk Supply?
Every person needs sleep to regain their strength and fuel their body. The ideal amount of sleep for adults is 7 hours or more daily. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many side effects, including a lower immune system and a higher risk of diseases.
Unfortunately, many parents suffer from a lack of sleep due to child-rearing. Babies are very demanding, especially when it comes to caring. Parents, especially breastfeeding mothers, often stay up at night to tend to a hungry infant.
While it is no surprise that sleep can affect your mood and energy levels, it may also affect your milk supply. So it is crucial to find a rhythm with your body where you can get enough sleep without sacrificing your baby’s nutrition.
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Can Lack of Sleep Affect Your Milk Supply?
Hormones play a crucial role in how your body is regulated. For breastfeeding mothers, prolactin and oxytocin are the two hormones responsible for milk production. However, other hormones in the body can also affect your milk supply.
While prolactin and oxytocin positively contribute to your milk supply, stress hormones like cortisol do the opposite. Stress hormones can reduce your milk supply. In many cases, women who have a low milk supply report improvement after reducing stress and anxiety.
Hormones like cortisol can appear due to stress from heavy workloads and chores. But staying up all night can also cause your body to produce high cortisol levels and other stress hormones. That is why it is vital to get enough rest to reduce stress in your body. But how can you do that while taking care of a child?
Is Melatonin Safe For Breastfeeding Mothers?
Many mothers find it hard to get enough rest because of parenthood. Parenting means not getting enough sleep because you are too busy nursing and changing diapers. Some moms might consider using supplements to help get some shut eyes.
Melatonin is a popular supplement that can help promote sleep and restfulness. However, while it is a widely used supplement for the average citizen, breastfeeding mothers should be careful using this product, especially in the long run.
Short-term use of manufactured melatonin seems to be safe for breastfeeding mothers. However, there is not enough evidence to support that melatonin is safe for an extended period. It is also recommended that you first talk to your healthcare provider before taking melatonin.
How Can I Improve My Sleep While Breastfeeding?
Fortunately, there are other ways you can improve your sleep without having to use melatonin or other supplements. You can boost the quality of your sleep by doing one or more of the following:?
- Limit your caffeine intake per day. Caffeine can cause changes in your body and cause difficulties when sleeping at night.
- Besides caffeine, you should also limit the number of times you use your phone or devices at night.
- Make your room as dark as possible to increase the natural production of melatonin in the body.
- If sleeping at night is difficult, try to nap during the day. Ask help from your friends or family to take care of the house while you sleep.
- Try to rest while your baby is asleep.
