Parity and Sleep Patterns During and After Pregnancy

Abstract

In Brief Objective To describe changes in women's sleep patterns from prepregnancy to postpartum. Methods Polysomnography was done in women's homes for 2 consecutive nights. Forty-five women were studied during the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycles, and 33 conceived and were studied during each trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-nine were studied at 1 and 3 months postpartum. Results Compared with prepregnant sleep characteristics, significant changes in sleep patterns were evident by 11–12 weeks' gestation, with a significant increase in total sleep time but less deep sleep and more awakening during sleep. By the third month postpartum, there was improvement in sleep characteristics; however, sleep efficiency remained significantly lower than baseline prepregnancy values. Conclusion Sleep disturbance was greatest during the first postpartum month, particularly for first-time mothers. Changes in sleep occur early in pregnancy, but the 1st month postpartum is particularly disturbing for first-time mothers compared with experienced mothers.