Prolonged Antepartum Hospitalization: No Time for Rest

OBJECTIVE: To characterize sleep patterns among pregnant women undergoing prolonged antepartum hospitalization. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective cohort study of women undergoing prolonged antepartum hospitalization after 20 weeks’ gestation. Women were recruited to wear an Actigraph, complete a sleep log for 7 consecutive days, and complete a sleep survey at the end of the study period. Actigraphy was used to determine rest and sleep intervals, sleep onset latency, and wake time after sleep onset. RESULTS: 40 participants were recruited, and 28 had ≥ 5 nights of data for a total of 177 nights of antepartum sleep data. Mean gestational age was 30 weeks. Median sleep duration was 7.05 hours ± 1.71 hours. 43.5% of women had an average sleep duration of less than 7 hours/night. 28.2% of study nights had a bedtime between midnight and 5 am. Going to bed between midnight and 5 am was significantly associated with sleep durations of less than 7 hours (70.7% vs. 32.5%, p <.001). Participants reported an average of 2.4 awakenings per night due to hospital-related events. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged antepartum hospitalization has a negative impact on sleep duration and quality.