Sleep and bipolar disorder: Associations with delivery and neonatal outcomes

This study aims to examine the relationship between sleep duration and sleep quality during pregnancy and the delivery and neonatal outcomes in a prospective cohort of pregnant women with bipolar disorder (BD).

Data were from the Sleepreg-Bipolar Disorder (Sleepreg-BD) study and included 65 pregnant Dutch women. Quality and duration of sleep were measured using actigraphy and a sleepdiary, respectively. The Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM) and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) were used to measure the severity of manic and depressive symptoms, respectively.

The mean sleep efficiency in trimester 2 was 76,95% (SD 8,52), and in trimester 3 74,8% (SD 7,86). The mean sleep duration in trimester 2 was 408,95 min (SD 64,10), and in trimester 3412,18 min (SD 77,69). Shorter sleep duration during trimester 2 indicated a higher risk for caesarean section. However, this association remained not significant when confounders were entered into the Model. No other associations for delivery and neonatal outcomes were found.

Although associations with delivery and neonatal outcomes were largely not observed in this cohort, sleep disturbances during pregnancy remain clinically important for maternal well-being and postpartum psychiatric risk for women with BD.