Exercise during early pregnancy is associated with greater sleep continuity

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Sleep Medicine
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Pregnant women frequently experience sleep disturbances starting early in gestation.
• Exercise is known to improve sleep in nonpregnant individuals, but findings in pregnant populations are inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between varying levels of exercise and nocturnal sleep quality in pregnant women during early gestation.

Main Methods:

• 172 pregnant women provided self-reported and objective sleep and exercise data across three trimesters (10-20 weeks).
• Exercise was categorized into three groups: 0, 1 to <500, and ≥500 metabolic equivalent minutes per week (MET-min/week).
• Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze sleep efficiency and wake after sleep onset (WASO).

Main Results:

• Higher exercise levels (≥500 MET-min/week) were associated with improved actigraphic sleep efficiency at 14-16 weeks gestation.
• Moderate exercise (1 to <500 MET-min/week) was linked to the lowest actigraphic wake after sleep onset (WASO).
• Objective sleep efficiency improved, and WASO decreased from 10-12 weeks to 18-20 weeks gestation.

Conclusions:

• Engaging in any level of exercise during pregnancy is more beneficial for sleep than being sedentary.
• Moderate exercise may serve as an effective complementary treatment for managing sleep disturbances in pregnant women.