Sleep patterns and intraindividual sleep variability in mothers and fathers at 6 months postpartum: a population-based, cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectivesGiven that postpartum sleep is an important family process, further investigations including both mothers and fathers are necessary. The present study aimed to describe and compare sleep patterns and intraindividual night-to-night variability in mothers and fathers at 6 months postpartum using subjective and objective sleep measures.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingGeneral community-based study in Montreal, QC, Canada.ParticipantsThirty-three couples (mothers and fathers) with no self-reported history of medical and mental health conditions participated in this study.ResultsParental sleep was measured across 10 consecutive nights using both a daily sleep diary and actigraphy. Results demonstrated that mothers’ subjective and objective sleep was more fragmented compared with fathers (shorter longest consecutive sleep duration and more nocturnal awakenings; p<0.001). While mothers and fathers did not differ in their self-reported nocturnal sleep duration (p>0.05), actigraphy indicated that mothers obtained significantly longer nocturnal sleep duration (448.07 min±36.49 min) than fathers (400.96 min±45.42 min; p<0.001). Intraindividual sleep variability was revealed by relatively high coefficients of variation for parents across both subjective and objective indices related to sleep fragmentation (between 0.25 and 1.32). Actigraphy also demonstrated variability by mothers sleeping 6 hours consecutively on less than 3 nights, 27.27% (±22.81), and fathers on less than 6 nights, 57.27% (±24.53), out of 10. Associations were also found between parental sleep and family factors, such as age and infant sleep location (p<0.05).ConclusionsThese findings advance our knowledge of how sleep unfolds within the family system beyond the early postpartum weeks and/or months. Given the link between disturbed sleep and family functioning, the current research accentuates the importance of examining postpartum sleep patterns and variability in parents.

Parents’ Sleep Multi-Trajectory Modelling from 3 to 36 Months Postpartum in the SEPAGES Cohort

“…For instance, US mothers reported a mean NSD from 6h30 to 7h00 between 7 weeks 9 and 5 months postpartum. 34 , 35 Canadian mothers reported less than 7h00 of NSD at 2 and 6 months postpartum; 19 , 36 , 37 while NSD was objectively measured by accelerometry at 7h28 at the same period. 37 Breastfeeding Chinese mothers also reported about 7h00 of NSD from 2 to 7 months postpartum, and about 7h30 at 12 to 17 months.…”

“… 34 , 35 Canadian mothers reported less than 7h00 of NSD at 2 and 6 months postpartum; 19 , 36 , 37 while NSD was objectively measured by accelerometry at 7h28 at the same period. 37 Breastfeeding Chinese mothers also reported about 7h00 of NSD from 2 to 7 months postpartum, and about 7h30 at 12 to 17 months. 38 Mean paternal NSD was stable, about 8 hr, from 3 to 36 months postpartum.…”

“…Although most parental sleep studies measured maternal or paternal sleep by sleep diaries 19 , 36 or validated questionnaires, 9 , 10 self-reported sleep based on bedtime and wake-up time is widely used in epidemiological studies of sleep in general populations. 37 , 38 We did not collect data on the frequency and duration of parental night waking, but we considered the frequency of the child’s night waking in a sensitivity analysis showing that parental NSD was low from 3 to 18 months postpartum but remained longer than the parental sleep duration reported in other populations. 9 , 19 , 38 , 39 Another explanation for the observed long sleep durations may be the specificity of the study population.…”

“…Fifth, sleep was subjectively assessed through self-questionnaires. However, to minimize recall bias, questions were asked at each time point on current bedtime and wake-up time during both weekdays and weekend days, as commonly used in epidemiological studies 37 , 38 as well as questions on naps and subjective sleep loss reflecting their own perception of their sleep. Lastly, we only included heterosexual couples.…”

Sleep Duration Irregularity is Associated with Elevated Blood Pressure During Submaximal Exercise in Young Adults

“…The CV was included as it has been frequently used in the literature to assess intraindividual night-to-night variability in sleep. 22 Lastly, the midpoint of sleep on weekend days (MSF) corrected for sleep debt on weekdays (MSFsc) was calculated as an index of chronotype. 23 This variable was included in this study since internal circadian rhythm influence hemodynamic (eg, heart rate) responses to isometric 24 and aerobic exercise.…”