Effects of sleep education for pregnant women in a parent's education class on their sleep and depression

Abstract

We conducted sleep education for 53 pregnant women participating in a class for parents and examined its effects on sleep habits, sleep satisfaction level and depression during pregnancy. We used educational material and instructed participants about responses to the physical effects of pregnancy, and provided information on biological rhythms of the newborn, as well as the importance of regulating biological rhythms. After sleep education, we explained sleep promotion activities resulting in high-quality sleep for pregnant women. Then, we set target activities for two weeks. After two weeks, we analyzed questionnaire entries of 10 women whose informed consent was obtained before the study. The results demonstrated that their sleep debt decreased and sleep satisfaction increased after sleep education. However, there was no significant improvement in depression during pregnancy. These results suggest that sleep education for pregnant women is effective for improving their sleep.