Determinants of postpartum sleep duration and sleep efficiency in minority women.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To examine demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral determinants of postpartum sleep duration and sleep efficiency among a cohort of Black and Latina women. METHODS Data were from 148 women (67% Black, 32% Latina) at 5 months postpartum, recruited from an academic medical center in Philadelphia. Relevant demographic, psychosocial and behavioral predictors were assessed via questionnaire. Nocturnal sleep was objectively measured for 1 week using wrist actigraphy. Sleep duration was examined as a continuous variable and in categories (<7 versus ≥7 hours/night); sleep efficiency was examined as a continuous variable. Independent multiple linear regression models were built to evaluate significant determinants of sleep. RESULTS Adjusted models revealed that breastfeeding, having a bedtime after midnight, and being employed were associated with shorter sleep duration (-25-33 minutes, all p<0.05). Multiparity, being unmarried, being employed, breastfeeding, having a bedtime after midnight, bedsharing, and responding to infant awakenings by getting up immediately rather than waiting a few minutes to see if the infant fell back asleep, were all significant determinants of sleeping <7 h/night (OR varying: 2.29-4.59, all p<0.05). Bedsharing was the only variable identified from the multiple regression model that associated with poorer sleep efficiency (-3.8%, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Findings may inform interventions for improving postpartum sleep in socioeconomically disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minority postpartum women.