Sleep quality and its determinants among pregnant women in Northwest India: A cross-sectional study

During pregnancy, adequate sleep is crucial for the mother's well-being, fetal growth, and development. Poor sleep quality is linked to increased risks of gestational complications and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.

To assess sleep quality and associated socio-demographic, psychosocial, and clinical factors in pregnant women attending a tertiary care center in Northwest India.

A cross-sectional study conducted among 420 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic. Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Multidimensional scale of perceived social support, Edinburgh perinatal depression scale, and Perinatal anxiety screening scale were used to measure sleep quality, social support, antenatal depression, and anxiety, respectively. SPSS version 21 was used to analyse the data. Multiple linear regression was done to identify factors related to sleep quality.

Among the 420 pregnant women surveyed, 40% were in the third trimester. Two-thirds of the subjects (63.1%) reported poor sleep quality. Factors significantly associated with poor sleep quality included higher education levels, history of abortion, advanced gestational age, screen use within an hour before sleep, poor social support, antenatal depression, and antenatal anxiety. The multivariable linear regression model identified antenatal depression (B = 0.121), antenatal anxiety (B = 0.037), higher education (B = 0.113), history of abortion (B = 0.904), and advanced gestational age (B = 0.006) as significant factors associated with poor sleep quality.

The prevalence of poor sleep quality among pregnant women was relatively high. It is essential to prioritize routine screening for sleep issues and implement targeted interventions that address factors linked to sleep quality.