Sources of midsleep awakenings in childbearing women.

Sleep disturbance is a complaint of childbearing women that has implications for perinatal health. A descriptive, longitudinal study examined the numbers and sources of midsleep awakenings in women prior to conception and during each trimester of pregnancy. A secondary analysis of data from a larger study of sleep during childbearing was performed for subjects (n = 25) who completed sleep diaries across the four measurement periods. There was a two-fold increase in the number of awakenings from pre-conception to the third trimester of pregnancy. Maintenance insomnia during pregnancy follows a pattern of prevalence that can be characterized by trimester. The predominant source of awakening during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy was due to the need to urinate. Parity and environmental circumstances can influence sources of awakenings. Nurses working with childbearing women can provide information and assistance with strategies to minimize or mitigate lengthy episodes of sleep disturbance.