04/09/2026
Infant sleep and postnatal depression are linked. But not in the way most people think. 👆 Swipe for what the research actually shows.
If you’re struggling with your baby’s sleep and/or your own mental health - both matter, and both can improve. Please also reach out to your GP or maternal health nurse. You deserve support.
Full references below 👇
📚 References
1. Cook F, Bayer J, Le HND, Mensah F, Cann W & Hiscock H (2012). Baby Business: a randomised controlled trial of a universal parenting program that aims to prevent early infant sleep and cry problems and associated parental depression. BMC Pediatrics, 12, 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-12-13
2. Hiscock H, Cook F, Bayer J et al. (2014). Preventing early infant sleep and crying problems and postnatal depression: a randomized trial. Pediatrics, 133(2), e346–e354. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-1886
3. Dias CC & Figueiredo B (2021). Unidirectional and bidirectional links between maternal depression symptoms and infant sleep problems. Journal of Sleep Research, 30(5), e13363. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13363
4. Verma S, Pinnington DM, Manber R & Bei B (2025). Bi-directional associations between maternal and infant sleep, and maternal mental health from late pregnancy to 2 years postpartum. Scientific Reports, 15, 1452. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09541-7
5. Carroll K, Doyle O, Hannigan A & Segurado R (2024). Child sleep problems, maternal sleep and self-efficacy: sleep’s complicated role in maternal depression. Journal of Sleep Research, 33(2), e14005. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14005
6. Williamson AA, Milaniak I, Watson B, Cicalese O, Magda VC & Mindell JA (2024). Maternal depression and sleep problems in early childhood: a meta-analysis. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01717-y
7. McEvoy KM, Rayapati D, Washington Cole KO, Erdly C, Payne JL & Osborne LM (2019). Poor postpartum sleep quality predicts subsequent postpartum depressive symptoms in a high-risk sample. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 15(9), 1303–1310. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7912
Dr Fallon Cook | PhD | 2 x Postdoctoral Fellowships in Infant Sleep
