Prescribing Sleep in the Postpartum Period: Tools for Real-World Clinical Situations
In this course, you will explore the role of prescribing sleep to support postpartum mental health.
Sleep is a critical foundation of mental health, influencing mood, emotional regulation, coping, and overall well-being. Yet, sleep disruption is nearly universal in the first 4–6 months postpartum and is often overlooked as a treatment target.
Through practical guidance and case-study learning, you will explore how postpartum sleep disruption affects mood, functioning, safety, and overall well-being, while building skills to discuss these challenges with patients in a clear, compassionate, and non-judgmental way.
Learning Audience
This training is designed for health care professionals and clinicians supporting perinatal patients with mental health or substance use concerns.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Explain how postpartum sleep disruption affects mood, functioning, and safety, and articulate this clearly and supportively to patients.
- Develop a sleep map prescription that incorporates protected sleep stretches, partner or support involvement, and adaptations based on feeding method and home context.
- Use nonjudgmental, culturally attuned communication to address guilt, internalized pressure, and “good mother” narratives while supporting flexibility in feeding and rest.
- Describe strategies for safely prescribing sedating medications in the postpartum period, including sleep-related safety considerations for breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding.
Time to Complete
This course takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete. You can pause and resume at any time.
Authors
Nicole Leistikow, MD, Clinical Director, Johns Hopkins Reproductive Mental Health Center
Lindsay Standeven, MD, Associate Professor, CU Anschutz Psychiatry
Sarah Nagle-Yang, MD, Associate Professor, CU Anschutz Psychiatry
Continuing Medical Education Credit
This course has been approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians for one Continuing Medical Education Credit.
This is contingent upon completion of all lessons, interactions, and the final assessment.
