Sleep patterns and fatigue in parents of twins.
OBJECTIVE
To examine patterns of postpartum parental sleep and levels of fatigue at 2, 12, and 20 weeks following hospital discharge of newborn twins.


METHODS
Descriptive longitudinal pilot study.


METHODS
Recruitment from 2 hospital postpartum units. Data collected in parents' homes.


METHODS
Eight primiparous parents caring for twins delivered at 33 to 38 weeks gestation.


METHODS
Home visits to deliver and retrieve study equipment: wrist actigraphy and sleep diaries to measure sleep, standardized instrument to measure fatigue, and an investigator-developed form to measure demographics and related variables.


RESULTS
Fathers had significantly less night sleep (5.4 hours) and less 24 hour sleep (5.8 hours) than mothers (6.2 and 6.9 hours, respectively) at 2 weeks after twins were discharged. Sleep efficiency increased significantly over time in a linear fashion for both parents. Morning and evening fatigue levels were not significantly different between parents and remained constant over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Pilot data suggest that mothers and especially fathers of twins experience sleep disturbances after discharge of their twins. Further study is needed to more fully describe the evolution of sleep patterns and clarify factors that influence sleep in parents of twins.
Damato
Elizabeth G
EG
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4904, USA. egd@case.edu
Burant
Christopher
C
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017286:Polysomnography; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014427:Twins