0069 Trajectories of Sleep Characteristics in Black and White Women During the First Year Postpartum
Year: 2022
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Introduction In the postpartum period, many women experience sleep deficiency due to caring for their infant. Racial disparities exist in sleep characteristics in the adult population, with Black adults having shorter total sleep time (TST) and worse sleep efficiency (SE) than White adults. However, few studies have investigated sleep changes in postpartum Black and White women. The purpose of this study was to examine trajectories of sleep characteristics from 6-8 weeks to 12 months postpartum in Black and White women. Methods Black (n=48) and White (n=86) women who gave birth to a singleton infant at ≥37 weeks gestation, wore an Actiwatch Spectrum Plus (Phillips Respironics, Inc) at 6-8 weeks, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months postpartum. Participants were instructed to wear the monitor, complete a sleep diary, and to maintain their normal daily activities over 7 days. Daily time in bed (TIB), TST, SE, and wake after sleep onset (WASO) were determined. Results Trajectories of TIB, TST, SE and WASO were not different between Black and White women from 6-8 weeks to 12 months postpartum. However, Black women had shorter TIB and TST, and lower sleep efficiency (p<0.001 for all). WASO was similar between Black and White women. For the entire sample, TIB significantly decreased from 470±74 (mean±SD) minutes at 6-8 weeks to 459±54 minutes at 12 months (p=0.0038). TST significantly increased from 347±86 minutes at 6-8 weeks to 369±70 minutes at 4 months (p=0.0085) but did not change at the later timepoints. SE increased from 80±8% at 6-8 weeks to 83±7% at 6 months (p=0.0034) but did not change at the later timepoints. WASO decreased from 54±24 minutes at 6-8 weeks to 46±21 minutes at 4 months (p<0.0001) but did not change at later timepoints. Conclusion In the first year postpartum, Black and White women had similar trajectories for sleep characteristics, but Black women had shorter TIB and TST and lower SE than White women. TIB and WASO decreased while TST and SE increased over time. The first 4 to 6 months show the greatest changes. Support (If Any) NIH Grant R21MD012740
Source: SLEEP
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4281749820