Sleep disorders in pregnancy.

CONTEXT The precise function of sleep in animals and human beings is still unknown, and any sort of physical, social or psychological variation may change the normal sleep-wake cycle. PURPOSE This research aims is to determine the sleep disorders (SD) for each of the three trimesters of the pregnancy comparing them to the pre-pregnancy state (PG). METHOD SD were investigated in three hundred pregnant women 11- to 40-years-old through with a brief clinical interview based on directed questions. One hundred pregnant women were considered for each trimester. RESULTS The rate of pregnant women with insomnia increased by 23% in the 2nd trimester (p< 0.005); the rate for excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) by 15% in the 1st trimester (p<0.003), 55% in the 2nd trimester (p<0.001) and by 14% in the 3rd trimester (p<0.002); the rate for mild sleepiness increased by 33% in the 2nd trimester (p<0.002) and by 48% in the 3rd trimester (p<0.001); the rate for specific awakenings increased by 63% in the 1st trimester, by 80% in the 2nd trimester and by 84% in the 3rd trimester (p<0.001). CONCLUSION SD were more frequent during pregnancy comparatively to PG state, mostly at the expenses of EDS and specific awakenings.