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Behavioral Sleep Therapies During the Perinatal Period: A Scoping Review
Jennifer N Felder1,2, Bernadette McClelland1, Candance Sorensen1
1Osher Center for Integrative Health, University of California, San Francisco, CA USA.
Insights
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) improves perinatal sleep, with benefits peaking around six months postpartum. Mindfulness-Based Interventions may reduce insomnia during pregnancy.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Health
- Sleep Medicine
- Psychological Interventions
Background:
- Perinatal insomnia is a prevalent and impactful condition affecting women during pregnancy and postpartum.
- Behavioral sleep therapies offer potential non-pharmacological solutions for managing sleep disturbances in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review randomized controlled trials of behavioral sleep therapies for perinatal insomnia published since 2020.
- To synthesize findings on the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) in perinatal samples.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 2020 onwards.
- Included studies focused on behavioral sleep therapies, specifically CBT-I and MBI, in perinatal populations.
- Analysis of reported outcomes related to insomnia severity, sleep quality, and mental health.
Main Results:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) demonstrated effectiveness in improving perinatal sleep, with benefits observed around six months postpartum.
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) showed potential for reducing insomnia severity during pregnancy in adequately powered trials.
- The impact of these interventions on mental health outcomes was mixed, potentially due to variations in study design and assessment timing.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral sleep therapies, particularly CBT-I and MBI, are effective options for addressing perinatal insomnia.
- Further research is needed to evaluate long-term effectiveness, real-world applicability, and impacts on offspring.
- Future studies should also clarify indications for MBI versus CBT-I and rigorously assess mental health benefits.
Purpose Of Review:
Perinatal insomnia is common and consequential. This review presents findings from randomized controlled trials of behavioral sleep therapies in perinatal samples published since 2020.
Recent Findings:
Eleven studies were included; seven investigated cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and four investigated mindfulness-based interventions (MBI). CBT-I is effective for improving perinatal sleep. Benefits attenuate in the early postpartum period, and re-emerge around six months postpartum. Impact on mental health outcomes is mixed, possibly due to variations in comparator groups and assessment timepoints. Two of the MBI trials were adequately powered to investigate effects on insomnia severity, and suggest that MBIs may be effective for reducing insomnia during pregnancy.
Summary:
Future work should evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral sleep therapies in real world settings, examine benefits beyond six months postpartum, evaluate impacts on offspring, conduct rigorous research to better quantify mental health benefits, and elucidate for whom MBI is indicated vs. CBT-I.
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