The Relationship between Sleep Quality, Physical Activity and Postpartum Mood

It is estimated that over 400,000 women in the United States experience postpartum depressive symptoms each year. Postpartum depression has been linked with a series of negative psychosocial sequelae for mothers and potential developmental sequelae for infants. Research has helped to identify potential risk factors for postpartum depression, but additional research is needed to identify and understand these factors. Previous studies have identified sleep quality and physical activity as potential factors linked with postpartum depression symptoms. Yet, none have examined the interrelationship relationship between these factors in predicting postpartum depression symptoms. This study examined the interaction between sleep quality and physical activity in predicting postpartum depression symptoms using a cross-sectional design. Ninety-six postpartum women completed this study. Findings yielded significant relationships among sleep quality, insomnia severity, fatigue, physical activity and postpartum mood. Of note, sleep quality and insomnia severity were found to be significant predictors of postpartum mood. However, a relationship between sleep quality and physical activity was not supported in this study. Physical activity was found to be positively correlated with postpartum depression symptoms, but was not a moderator of the relationship between sleep quality and postpartum depression symptoms. A more careful assessment of the types of physical activity that women engage postpartum and specific types of sleep dysregulation, in tandem with postpartum depression symptoms, is needed.