title: Fragmented sleep and fatigue during postpartum hospitalization in older primiparous women.
abstract: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations among sleep characteristics, feeding variables, and fatigue among older Japanese primiparas (≥ 35 years old) during hospitalization after childbirth. A convenience sample of 16 participants who had given birth to a single newborn were recruited from maternity wards, and before discharge they completed a sleep assessment and questionnaires. Sleep characteristics were assessed using actigraphs. Diaries of daily activities recorded infant caregiving and subjective hours of sleep. The degree of fatigue was assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Although participants' sleep was found to be significantly fragmented by the average number of feeds per night, sleep loss in this sample was not severe compared with previous actigraph studies of young Japanese mothers. Lower percentages of sleep efficiency (percentage of sleep between going to bed and waking up) and parameters of fragmented sleep were significantly correlated with higher degrees of fatigue. Nurses and other healthcare providers should observe mothers' sleep and assess levels of fatigue. Assistance should be offered to mothers who are tired, so that they can have less fragmented sleep during the night.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakajo
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maekawa
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saeki
keywords: Japan; actigraph; fatigue; maternal health; older primiparas; sleep