Normative longitudinal maternal sleep: the first 4 postpartum months.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the normative course of maternal sleep during the first 4 months postpartum.


METHODS
Sleep was objectively measured using continuous wrist actigraphy. This was a longitudinal, field-based assessment of nocturnal sleep during postpartum weeks 2 through 16. Fifty mothers participated during postpartum weeks 2 through 13; 24 participated during postpartum weeks 9 through 16.


RESULTS
Maternal nocturnal sleep time was 7.2 (SD ± 0.95) hours and did not change significantly across postpartum weeks 2 through 16. Maternal sleep efficiency did improve across weeks 2 (79.7%; SD ± 5.5) through 16 (90.2%; SD ± 3.5) as a function of decreased sleep fragmentation across weeks 2 (21.7; SD ± 5.2) through 16 (12.8; SD ± 3.3).


CONCLUSIONS
Though postpartum mothers' total sleep time was higher than expected during the initial postpartum months, this sleep was highly fragmented (similar to fragmenting sleep disorders) and inefficient. This profile of disturbed sleep should be considered in intervention designs and family leave policies.
Montgomery-Downs
Hawley E
HE
Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506-6040, USA. Hawley.Montgomery-Downs@mail.wvu.edu
Insana
Salvatore P
SP
Clegg-Kraynok
Megan M
MM
Mancini
Laura M
LM
D056044:Actigraphy; D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*