The Effect of Sleep Disturbance on Quality of Life in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Definition of the problemPregnancy is the most enjoyable and most sensitive period of a women's life. Even in uncomplicated pregnancies, this period is associated with hormonal, metabolic, physiological, anatomical, and psychological changes, which may negatively affect the quality of life [1-4]. Insomnia is very common in all stages of pregnancy, which is defined both as a symptom and as a disorder [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Pregnancy-related issues such as frequent urination, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, stress, heartburn, nasal congestion, back pain, fatigue, leg cramps, abdominal discomfort, and growing fetus can contribute to sleep problems and can also impair a pregnant woman's quality of life [2,9,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].Insomnia in pregnancy is treatable condition with pharmacological interventions, also alternative methods or behavioral strategies may alleviate sleep disturbance. Minimizing modifiable factors for insomnia and increasing sleep quality play an essential role to avoid adverse pregnancy outcomes such as maternal-fetal morbidity, mortality, anxiety,