Associations of Early Pregnancy Sleep Duration with Trimester-Specific Blood Pressures and Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy

Abstract

Our findings are consistent with a larger literature that documents elevated blood pressure and increased risks of hypertension with short and long sleep duration.

Prevalence of Sleep Deficiency in Early Gestation and its Associations with Stress and Depressive Symptoms

“…Although a newly emerging construct, we believe that sleep deficiency is applicable to pregnant women given the hypothesis that (1) ''sleep deficiency is thought to reflect a deficit in quantity or quality of sleep versus the amount needed for optimal health,'' 23 (2) the three variables suggested to define sleep deficiency (i.e., short sleep duration, insufficient sleep or insomnia symptoms) 24 are commonly reported by pregnant women in early gestation, and (3) these sleep variables are associated with morbidity. 20,21,25 Our results indicate that sleep insufficiency and short sleep duration are prevalent …”

“…This finding is in agreement with some, 2,67 but in contrast to popular belief and the current literature. 20,47 In a recent study of Turkish women in their first trimester, for example, the average sleep duration was 8.3 -2.0 hours per night. 47 It is important to note that this information was ascertained from the Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale, which asks women to recall their typical sleep duration.…”

“…Indeed, they are the most commonly reported sleep disturbances during pregnancy. 20,[25][26][27] They are reported substantially more often as compared to similar nonpregnant women. 21 Hence, the goals of this study were to (1) characterize the prevalence of sleep deficiency in early gestation, and (2) examine whether the presence or absence of sleep deficiency during early gestation (characterized as persistent, intermittent, or no sleep deficiency) is associated with greater depressive symptoms and perceived stress.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19] Few investigations, however, have assessed sleep in early gestation as a contributor to established risk factors or adverse pregnancy outcomes. 2,20,21 One of our previous studies suggested that poor sleep quality in early gestation (14-16 weeks) was an independent risk factor for preterm birth and associated with prenatal stress. 3 Facco and colleagues 2 reported that 26% of their cohort had short sleep duration in early pregnancy, and that short sleep duration was associated with impaired glucose metabolism and risk for gestational diabetes mellitus.…”

“…Similarly, Williams and colleagues observed that 13.4% of their cohort reported sleep duration £ 6 hours in early pregnancy, and that these women had higher blood pressure readings in the third trimester. 20 We hypothesized that sleep during early gestation may be a critically important contributor to pregnancy outcomes as it may impact psychosocial and physiological pathways linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. 6 Sleep information from early gestation remains disproportionately underreported in the literature.…”