Deep sleep frequency decreased daily by 0.008 occurrences per day (p<0.0001), and greater deep sleep frequency reduced resting heart rate by 0.528 bpm and increased HRV by 1.559 ms, while greater REM sleep increased HR by 0.339 bpm and decreased HRV by 1.044 ms in pregnant women.
Observational (n=14)
No
Continuous wearable monitoring during pregnancy demonstrates that greater deep sleep is associated with favorable cardiovascular markers, specifically lower resting heart rate and higher heart rate variability.
Objective Growing evidence links sleep disturbances with gestational hypertension and/or preeclampsia. Most studies rely on self-reported surveys that cannot capture sleep stages as objective indicators of cardiovascular health. The objective of this study was to utilize a wearable device to describe changes in nightly sleep stages during pregnancy and investigate their relationships with resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). Methods This longitudinal descriptive study encompassed 981 observation days among 14 pregnant women, 86% of whom self-identified as Hispanic. The Oura ring obtained nighttime sleep and cardiovascular data every 5 min, including deep, Rapid Eye Movement (REM), light sleep, and awake, as well as HR and HRV. The frequency and duration of each sleep stage occurrence indicated daily sleep characteristics. Linear mixed models were employed to detect daily changes in sleep stages and to investigate their associations with cardiovascular parameters while adjusting for maternal age, and pre-pregnancy body mass index. Results Significant daily changes occurred in deep/light sleep and awake (all p values 0.05), but not in REM. The deep sleep onset significantly increased ( p = 0.03), while the deep sleep occurrence frequency decreased ( p 0.001). The duration per light sleep decreased ( p = 0.04) while awake increased ( p = 0.009). More deep sleep was significantly associated with lower HR but higher HRV (all p values 0.01). REM sleep had opposite patterns, associated with increased HR and decreased HRV (all p values 0.01). Light sleep/awake showed no significant associations with HR/HRV. Discussion This is the first study using a wearable device to describe daily associations between sleep and cardiovascular parameters during pregnancy among primarily Hispanic pregnant women. The findings suggest that non-invasive wearable devices monitoring deep sleep and parasympathetic nervous system activity could inform digital interventions on how to enhance deep sleep and promote cardiovascular health in pregnant women. Conclusion Wearable device monitoring can identify critical changes in sleep during pregnancy, particularly the relationship whereby greater deep sleep is associated with favorable cardiovascular health markers. These findings lay the groundwork for developing personalized, technology-enabled maternal health interventions to promote cardiovascular wellness during pregnancy.
Guo et al. (Tue,) conducted a observational in Pregnant women with healthy singleton pregnancy without complications at enrollment (n=14). Wearing Oura ring wearable device vs. None (observational study) was evaluated on Longitudinal changes in sleep stages (frequency and duration of deep, REM, light sleep and awake) and association with cardiovascular parameters (heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV)) during pregnancy. Deep sleep frequency decreased daily by 0.008 occurrences per day (p<0.0001), and greater deep sleep frequency reduced resting heart rate by 0.528 bpm and increased HRV by 1.559 ms, while greater REM sleep increased HR by 0.339 bpm and decreased HRV by 1.044 ms in pregnant women.