Sleep and sleep disorders during pregnancy and postpartum: The Life-ON study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Perinatal Care

Background:

• Sleep disturbances are common during pregnancy and postpartum.
• Limited data exists on the prevalence and patterns of sleep disorders throughout the entire perinatal period.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively assess sleep and sleep disorders in a large cohort of women during pregnancy and postpartum.
• To characterize the prevalence and trends of various sleep issues, including insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, restless legs syndrome, and sleep-disordered breathing.

Main Methods:

• The multicenter prospective Life-ON study enrolled 439 pregnant women.
• Home polysomnography was conducted, alongside sleep-related questionnaires administered at multiple time points during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum.

Main Results:

• Poor sleep quality affected 34% in the first trimester, rising to 71% in the first postpartum month.
• Insomnia followed a similar trend, while excessive daytime sleepiness peaked in the first trimester (30%).
• Polysomnography revealed 24% slept less than 6 hours and 30.6% had sleep efficiency below 80%.

Conclusions:

• Sleep disorders are highly frequent and exhibit distinct patterns during pregnancy and postpartum.
• The Life-ON study provides the largest polysomnographic dataset with longitudinal subjective sleep assessments in pregnant women.
• Routine assessment of sleep disturbances in the perinatal period is essential for improved detection and clinical management.