Breastfeeding May Help You Relax and Sleep Better

A routine question I ask my patients at their postpartum visit is “are you resting and getting enough sleep?”; something I stress before they go home from the hospital.  It is easy to determine if they are resting enough just by looking at them. Asking this question is important, so that I can re-emphasize the importance of rest and sleep.  I often find that many mothers lose valuable rest and sleep time because they feel the need to finish chores, write thank you notes, and send out announcements. Their minds are in constant motion worrying about things left undone. Well, breast feeding may in fact be of help! While breastfeeding, you must stop chores, eliminating the possibility of your husband giving the baby a bottle while you are doing the chores. The hormone oxytocin is released during breastfeeding and has the beneficial effect of lowering blood pressure and creating  a more relaxed state of mind. In addition, the release of oxytocin has also been shown to help improve sleep.