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Earlier this month, millions of Americans lost an hour of sleep when we moved our clocks ahead. This is not the only reason why some people may not be sleeping well. Stress, being too busy, caring for a family, health problems, and other factors may all serve to disrupt sleep and leave us tired and unable to function well the next day.

The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection for the disabled and the elderly.   Click here to learn more about the IFRL.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Abortion and Sleep Disorders

Sleep Disorders After Abortion May Be a Symptom of Trauma

Getting enough sleep is important to maintaining good health and can cause severe detrimental effects when we don't get it.

 

For many women, a sleep disorder may be the result of something deeper: abortion-related trauma. A 2006 study published in Sleep, the official journal of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, found that women who experienced abortion were more likely to be treated for sleep disorders or disturbances compared to women who gave birth. 1

 

The researchers examined medical records for 56,284 low-income women in California who gave birth or underwent an abortion in the first six months of 1989. They excluded women who had been treated for sleep disturbances or disorders in the 12 to 18 months prior to abortion or delivery.

 

The data showed that, up to four years later, women who underwent abortions were more likely to be treated for sleep disorders afterwards compared to those who gave birth. The difference was greatest during the first 180 days after the end of the pregnancy, when aborting women were approximately twice as likely to seek treatment for sleep disorders. Significant differences between aborting and child-bearing women persisted for three years.

 

Sleep Disorders Linked to Trauma

 

More research is needed to to see if women who have abortions are more likely to experience specific symptoms of sleep disturbance and whether those symptoms could be markers for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other problems.

 

Numerous studies have shown that trauma victims will often experience sleep difficulties. The authors believe their findings support a growing understanding that some women may have traumatic reactions to abortion. In a 2004 study of American and Russian women who had abortions:

 

65% of American women reported multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, which they linked to their abortions,

 

Over 14% reported all the symptoms necessary for a clinical diagnosis of abortion-induced PTSD,

 

30% reported nightmares, and

 

23% reported sleeping disorders that they attributed to their abortions. 2

 

In the book Forbidden Grief, author and therapist Dr. Theresa Burke notes that nightmares and insomnia are commonly reported among women after abortion. She writes: "When the conscious mind sleeps, the defense mechanisms in charge of repelling unwanted thoughts are relaxed. This is why intrusive thoughts related to a suppressed trauma often arise in the form of dreams or nightmares." 3

 

Other studies have found that women with a history of abortion are subsequently at increased risk for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, substance abuse, suicidal tendencies, psychiatric hospitalization, and other problems.

 

This research points to a need for doctors, mental health professionals and others who see women with sleep problems to routinely inquire about prior pregnancy losses, as identification of unresolved grief issues may improve treatment of sleep disorders, anxiety, and other psychiatric problems linked to abortion.

 

Citations

 

1. DC Reardon and PK Coleman, “Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study,” Sleep 29(1):105-106, 2006.

 

2. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10:SR5-16, 2004.

 

3. T. Burke with D. Reardon, Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 2007).

 

Source: The Elliot Institute

Source URL: http://www.AfterAbortion.Info