The influence of sleep duration on postpartum weight change in black and Hispanic women

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations of objectively-measured sleep duration with weight changes in black and Hispanic mothers over the first postpartum year. METHODS: Data were from 159 mothers (69% black, 32% Hispanic). We assessed nocturnal sleep duration using wrist actigraphy at 6 weeks and 5 months postpartum, examined as a continuous variable and in categories (<7 versus ≥7 hours/night, consistent with American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations). Body weights were abstracted from medical records in pregnancy and measured at 6 weeks, 5 months, and 12 months postpartum. Outcomes included early postpartum (6 weeks to 5 months) and late postpartum (5 to 12 months) weight changes. RESULTS: The majority of participants slept <7 hours/night at 6 weeks (75%) and 5 months (63%) postpartum. Early postpartum weight change did not differ by 6 week sleep duration category. By contrast, adjusted average late postpartum weight gain (SE) was 1.8 (0.7) kg higher in participants sleeping <7 hours at 5 months postpartum compared to those sleeping ≥7 hours (p=0.02). We did not detect statistically significant associations of continuous measures of sleep duration, nor measures of sleep quality, with postpartum weight changes. CONCLUSIONS: Sleeping <7 hours/night was associated with late postpartum weight gain in minority mothers.