Effects Of The Sedentary Behavior Reduction In Pregnancy Intervention (SPRING) On Sleep Outcomes In Pregnant Individuals

Sleep outcomes are associated with better pregnancy health but tend to worsen during pregnancy. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity interventions improve sleep but suffer from poor adherence in pregnancy. Less intensive interventions, such as those reducing sedentary behavior and increasing light-intensity physical activity, may be a more approachable strategy to improve sleep in pregnancy. PURPOSE: To determine if an intervention reducing sedentary behavior while increasing standing and steps in pregnancy improves sleep outcomes in the second and third trimesters. METHODS: Data from 46 participants (30 intervention, 16 control, mean age 31.8 [4.3] years, 91% White) in the SPRING study were used. SPRING was a multi-component intervention that sought to reduce sedentary behavior and increase steps through health coaching, a sit-stand desk, a wearable activity device, and a social media group. The control group received a handout with physical activity recommendations. The intervention successfully reduced sedentary behavior by 0.84 hr/day and increased standing by 0.77 hr/day. Sleep outcomes were measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Outcomes included duration (hr), efficiency (%), quality, latency, daytime dysfunction, disturbances (0-3 range), and global PSQI score (0-21). Fewer points indicate better sleep. Analyses were conducted in R using a mixed effects model while adjusting for baseline sleep outcomes and trimester of pregnancy. RESULTS: Those in the intervention group were more likely to experience sleep disturbances during pregnancy than those in the control group (see Table 1). There were no differences in other sleep outcomes. CONCLUSION: Displacing sedentary behavior with light-intensity physical activity may increase sleep disturbances during pregnancy, possibly be due to increased musculoskeletal pain from more standing. Future research with a larger sample is needed to confirm these findings. Table 1. - Effects of SPRING Intervention on Sleep Outcomes Across Pregnancy Sleep Outcome Group Baseline Second Trimester Third Trimester Estimate (SE) p Cohen''s d Global PSQI Score* Intervention 7.53 (3.28) 7.27 (3.75) 8.85 (4.48) Control 7.38 (3.98) 6.38 (3.77) 7.00 (3.6) 1.21 (0.73) 0.10 0.32 Quality* Intervention 1.19 (0.69) 1.17 (0.59) 1.52 (0.8) Control 1.25 (0.58) 1.19 (0.75) 1.38 (0.72) 0.08 (0.15) 0.58 0.12 Latency* Intervention 1.41 (0.95) 1.37 (0.93) 1.56 (1.05) Control 1.00 (0.97) 1.19 (1.28) 1.25 (1.00) -0.10 (0.2) 0.60 0.10 Duration (hrs) Intervention 7.53 (1.45) 7.18 (1.16) 6.78 (1.15) Control 7.22 (1.33) 7.34 (1.35) 7.09 (1.56) -0.42 (0.26) 0.10 0.32 Efficiency (%) Intervention 86.5 (24.76) 82.6 (11.57) 76.56 (12.38) Control 80.56 (10.77) 82.31 (13.31) 81.06 (14.11) -3.63 (2.75) 0.19 0.22 Disturbances* Intervention 1.66 (0.6) 1.8 (0.61) 2.04 (0.59) Control 1.62 (0.50) 1.25 (0.58) 1.88 (0.62) 0.33 (0.13) 0.01 0.53 Daytime Dysfunction* Intervention 1.25 (0.67) 1.17 (0.95) 1.11 (0.8) Control 1.31 (0.48) 1.00 (0.82) 0.94 (0.77) 0.21 (0.22) 0.33 0.27 Outcomes marked with * denote units are in points. Global PSQI Score points range 0-21; All other points range 0-3; 0 indicates no sleep difficulties and higher scores indicate increasingly severe sleep difficulties; Efficiency is percentage of total time in bed / sleep duration; Bold results are significant. American Heart Association 20TPA3549099