The impact of long-term partial sleep deprivation in unipara mothers

Date
2014-03-05
Authors
Strous, Terri Tanya
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Abstract
Most sleep deprivation studies show increased body mass, increased hypertension, increased Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular issues and even death. There is a paucity of research in sleeping patterns of first time Caucasian mothers of babies between six and twelve months old in South Africa. The objective was to determine the impact of long-term partial sleep deprivation on metabolism and mood in these mothers. A qualitative and quantitative study using a small sample of thirty one mothers was undertaken. Interviews assessed age, education, anthropometric data, family history, medication use, and baby sleeping habits. Participants were also asked to complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Becks Depression Inventory II (BDI-II)to assess the mothers sleep quality and depressive state. Medication use significantly decreased sleep quality. Oral contraceptive use and depression (BDI-II score 14-40) were associated with a significantly higher PSQI score and significantly decreased number of hours sleep and sleep efficiency. Oral contraceptive users were significantly more depressed. The six mothers on antidepressants had significantly higher PSQI scores than those not on antidepressants, but hours of sleep and sleep efficiency were not significantly different. This study showed that sleep deprivation did not impact mothers anthropometry. Interestingly medication use affected sleep quality more than baby arousals.
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