The Relationship Between Sleep Characteristics and Fatigue In Healthy Postpartum Women
Received 28 April 2008; received in revised form 26 July 2008; accepted 31 July 2008.
Background
Postpartum sleep is a difficult and complicated concept to measure owing to the intrusive nature of research at a sensitive and private time for new families. Nurses often find themselves advising mothers on ways to improve sleep and reduce fatigue based on teachings that are not evidence based. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a larger study of postpartum fatigue patterns was to examine the relationship between sleep characteristics and postpartum fatigue during the first 6 weeks after delivery.
Methods
A prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study was conducted of 109 postpartum women. Sleep and fatigue were measured using a 16-item subjective sleep characteristics scale and a 30-statement subjective fatigue instrument. Three measurement points were used: 1) 1–2 days after delivery (before hospital discharge); 2) 2 weeks postpartum; and 3) 6 weeks postpartum.
Results
Fatigue had a positive correlation with sleep disturbance at all three measurement points, indicating that higher levels of fatigue are associated with more disturbed sleep. No association was found between levels of fatigue and sleep supplementation. Levels of fatigue had a negative correlation with sleep effectiveness at all measurement points, indicating that the women were more fatigued if they perceived their sleep quality and adequacy to be poor or if they perceived the time spent sleeping to be short.
Conclusions
To reduce fatigue, nurses should focus on exploring ways to reduce maternal sleep disturbance and improve maternal sleep effectiveness. It is unclear whether the age-old advice to “nap when your baby naps” is effective in reducing postpartum fatigue.
aDepartment of Nursing Research & Analysis, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California
bSchool of Nursing, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
Correspondence to: Jacqueline Rychnovsky, PhD, RN, CPNP, Department of Nursing Research & Analysis, Naval Medical Center San Diego, 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134. Phone: (619) 532-8234; Fax: (619) 532-9243.
Funded by a grant from the TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP N03-010).
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the United States Government.
ABSTRACT