Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2025

Author Spotlight: Alleviating Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy with Safe and Effective Auricular Acupuncture
Published on: August 4, 2023
Eye-mask and earplugs compared with sleep advice leaflet to improve night sleep duration in pregnancy: a randomized
Farah Gan1, Muginrarao Sooriappragasarao1, Sofiah Sulaiman1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Study Objectives:
To evaluate at-home use of eye-mask and earplugs (EMEP) versus sleep hygiene advice leaflet (AL) on actigraphy-derived night sleep duration in sleep-deprived pregnant women.
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the antenatal clinic of University Malaya Medical Centre from June 2021 to June 2022. Women at 34-36 weeks gestation with self-reported night sleep duration ≤6 hours were recruited. Participants wore an actigraphy device at night for seven consecutive nights (Observation/Baseline week). Only women whose actigraphy-derived night sleep duration was confirmed to be ≤360 minutes were randomized to use EMEP or AL. Actigraphy was continued for another week (Intervention week). Primary outcome was change in actigraphy-derived night sleep duration from observation to intervention week across trial arms. Secondary outcomes include participants' sleep quality, labor, and neonatal outcome. Comparisons were by Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test.
Results:
A total of 210 women were randomized: 105 each to EMEP and AL. The increase in night sleep duration over baseline was significantly longer with both EMEP (mean ± SD) 23 ± 41 minutes, p < .001, and AL 10 ± 35 minutes, p = .007. Night sleep duration was longer by 12.9 (95% CI = 2.2 to 23.7) minutes, p = .019 with EMEP over AL. Sleep quality (Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score) was significantly improved with EMEP (mean ± SD) -2.0 ± 2.5, p < .001, but not with AL -0.3 ± 2.2, p = .246. Labor and neonatal outcomes were not significantly different.
Conclusion:
EMEP significantly lengthened night sleep duration in sleep-deprived women in late pregnancy and is superior to AL.
Clinical Trial Information:
"Use of eye masks and earplugs compared with standard advice to improve sleep in pregnancy". https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN19061849. Registered with ISRCTN on 07 May 2021, trial identification number: ISRCTN19061849.
More Related Videos
12:02Human Primary Trophoblast Cell Culture Model to Study the Protective Effects of Melatonin Against Hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced Disruption
Published on: July 30, 2016
04:53Author Spotlight: Traditional Chinese Medicine for Sleep Disorders in Acute COPD — A Safe, Cost-Effective Approach
Published on: October 18, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Management of Insomnia
Blind Procedures
Stages of Sleep
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
Insomnia
Multiple factors contribute...
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...