Maternal Sleep and Related Pregnancy Outcomes: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in 11 Provinces of Iran

Sleep disturbance during pregnancy is one of the most common maternal complaints. Not only does it play a crucial role in a mother’s life, but also it comes with a multitude number of complications. This study aimed at assessing the association between sleep disturbance in pregnancy and maternal and child outcomes.

This was a multicenter cross-sectional study, conducted on pregnant women across 11 provinces in Iran in 2018. Sleep disturbance as a composite variable was defined using the principal component analysis based on five questions. Abortion, anemia in the first and third trimester, gestational diabetes, gestational age, glucose tolerance test (GTT), fasting blood sugar (FBS), mode of delivery, low birth weight and stillbirth were defined as study outcomes.

Totally, 3675 pregnant women enrolled in the study. Most of the participants (84.5%) reported that their sleep duration is less than 8 hours per day. The prevalence of sleep disturbance was 20.7% (95% CI: 19.1, 22.3). After adjusting for maternal age, education, job, place of residency and physical violence, sleep disturbance would increase the odds of abortion (p=0.009), anemia in both first(p=0.001) and third (p=0.003) trimester, gestational age (p=0.049), abnormal FBS (p=0.015) and cesarean section (p<0.001).

Regarding the effect of sleep quality on maternal outcomes, planning and implementing a
suitable intervention in the context of primary health care is necessary. Increasing the awareness of
mothers, health workers and medical personnel about the suitable quality and quantity of sleep during
pregnancy is of great importance.