Sleep Quality and New Onset Postpartum Hypertension

Background: Chronic sleep deficiency is a stressful situation which has an association with high blood pressure. After delivery, mothers have disrupted sleep due to frequent awakenings by their infants. What is not known is how significant this relationship is inwomen during the postpartum period as well as other factors that may affect their Sleep quality. Sleep quality is a measure of duration and disruption.Aim and Objectives: Study is aimed at determining the relationship between Sleep quality and new onset postpartum hypertension. The specific objectives are; to determine the Sleep quality of mothers in the postpartum period using the Pittsburgh Sleep quality index (PSQI), identify factors that affect Sleep quality of mothers in the post-partum period and determine blood pressure patterns of mothers in the postpartum period.Materials and Methods: This was a longitudinal study. Using systematic random sampling, a sample size of 126 women were recruited between June and August 2016 in the Postnatal clinic of the 37 Military Hospital. Written consent was obtained from participants. Sitting blood pressure was checked and recorded and a modified form of the Pittsburgh Sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to assign a global score for Sleep quality. A global score of more than 5 indicated poor Sleep quality in that mother. Clients were first recruited at the 1st postnatal visit with follow-up at the 2nd routine postnatal visit (6weeks). Only mothers whose blood pressures were normal during pregnancy and upon discharge from hospital were included. For categorical data, Pearson’s chisquare test was used for comparisons and logistic regression as used to determine significant factors that contribute to new onset hypertension in postpartum women. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Majority of mothers (92.1% and 90.5% at first and second visits respectively) had poor Sleep quality. Mothers who slept away from their babies at the sixth week visit had better sleep. Mean global Sleep quality scores had no significant association with new onset hypertension but mean scores of some Age , p=0.001, OR =1.20 (C.I: 1.09-1.32) and some sleep components sleep disturbance, p=0.041, OR =1.86(C.I: 1.02-3.37), and use of sleep medicine, p=0.031, OR =1.54 (C.I:1.04- 2.29) were significantly associated with new onset postpartum hypertension.Conclusion: Global poor Sleep quality is not associated with increased odds of new onset hypertension but the Sleep quality components, sleep disturbance and increased use of sleep medicine, were significantly associated with new onset hypertension in mothers.