title: A postal survey of maternal sleep in late pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sleep disturbances in late pregnancy are common. This study aimed to survey sleep problems in third trimester pregnant women and to compare sleep in the pre-pregnancy period with the third trimester.
  
  
  METHODS
  Third-trimester women (n=650) were sent a postal survey containing questions relating to sleep experience, including perceived sleep quality, sleep difficulties, night waking, sleep environment, snoring, daytime tiredness and daytime napping. Time periods reported on were before pregnancy and in the last week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents numbered 244 (38%). Before pregnancy, the mean reported duration of night-time sleep was 8.1 (SD 1.1) hours; in the last week this had decreased to 7.5 (SD 1.8) hours (p<.0001). Only 29% rated their sleep quality in the last week as very good or fairly good, compared with 82% rating their sleep this way before the pregnancy. The main reasons for sleeping difficulties were discomfort (67%) and pain (36%). Snoring increased significantly over the course of the pregnancy, with 37% reporting snoring often or every night in the last week. Those with a pre-pregnancy body mass index of greater than 25 were significantly more likely to snore (p=.01). Only 4% of women had an abnormal Epworth Sleepiness Scale score (i.e. >10) prior to pregnancy, whereas in the last week 33% scored in the abnormal range. Likewise, 5% had regularly napped during the daytime before pregnancy, compared with 41% in the last week.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sleep problems are common in women in late pregnancy, and increase markedly compared with before pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. bl.hutchison@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: B Lynne
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Hutchison
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Lesley M E
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: McCowan
authors.forename: Alistair W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: John M D
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Edwin A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012307:Risk Factors; D012890:Sleep; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012913:Snoring / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult