ArticleBehavioral sleep medicine
Exercise during early pregnancy is associated with greater sleep continuity.
Article in Behavioral sleep medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05394883 (The SPROUT), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The SPROUT (Pilot) Project: Starting Pregnancy With Robustness for Optimal Upward Trajectories
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of the associations between prenatal sleep behaviours and components of energy balance for regulating weight gain.Journal of sleep research · 2023Pooled it
- Do pregnant African women exercise? A meta-analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Walking Promotion in Pregnancy and Its Effects on Insomnia: Results of Walking_Preg Project (WPP) Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Pregnant Women's Experiences and Perceptions of the Impact of Exercise on Mental Health During Pregnancy-A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Influence of a Sedentary Behavior Intervention on Mood, Sleep, and Quality of Life Outcomes During Pregnancy: The SPRING Study.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- What social media analyses can tell us about Ghanaian women's concerns during pregnancy.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Detecting sleep and physical activity changes across the perinatal period using wearable technology.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Barriers, attitudes and perceptions to physical activity among pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria and the associated factors: a mixed method study.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Perceptions, attitudes and beliefs on antenatal exercises among primiparous pregnant women: a qualitative study in Sri Lanka.BMJ open · 2024Article
- An Examination of Sleep as a Protective Factor for Depression and Anxiety in the Perinatal Period: Novel Causal Analyses in a Prospective Pregnancy Cohort.American journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Gestational weight gain among pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria: Pattern, predictors and pregnancy outcomes.PloS one · 2023Article
- Physical therapists' experiences and perceptions of antepartum and postpartum care.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Physical inactivity in early pregnancy and the determinants in an urban city setting of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Pattern and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviours of pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria: Findings from Ibadan pregnancy cohort study.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Physical Activity Advice and Counselling by Healthcare Providers: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Cluster Analysis of the Combined Association of Sleep and Physical Activity with Healthy Behavior and Psychological Health in Pregnant Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Physical Activity in Pregnancy: Beliefs, Benefits, and Information-Seeking Practices of Pregnant Women in South Africa.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2021Article
- Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy in Africa: a review of the literature.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Review
- Developing a Physical Activity Intervention Strategy for Pregnant Women in Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa: A Study Protocol.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Sleep complaints in early pregnancy. A cross-sectional study among women attending prenatal care in general practice.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
OBJECTIVES/
backgroundPregnant women report disturbed sleep beginning in early pregnancy. Among nonpregnant populations, exercise has been associated with improved sleep; however, research in pregnant samples has been equivocal. We examined whether varying degrees of exercise were associated with better nocturnal sleep among pregnant women during early gestation.
participants172 pregnant women.
methodsSelf-reported sleep and exercise and objective sleep were collected during early gestation: T1 (10-12 weeks), T2 (14-16 weeks), and T3 (18-20 weeks) from 172 pregnant women. Exercise was categorized into three time-varying groups: 0 metabolic equivalent minutes per week (MET-min/week), 1 to < 500 MET-min/week, or ≥ 500 MET-min/week. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to test hypotheses.
resultsA significant main effect for Time (F[2,254] = 9.77, p < 0.0001) and Time*Exercise group interaction were observed for actigraphic sleep efficiency (aSE) (F[4,569] = 2.73, p = 0.0285). At T2, women who reported ≥ 500 MET-min/week had higher aSE than those who reported 0 MET-min/week. Significant main effects for Exercise Group and Time were observed for actigraphic wake after sleep onset (aWASO; F[2,694] = 3.04, p = 0.0483 and F[2,260] = 3.21, p = 0.0419). aWASO was lowest for those reporting 1 to < 500 MET-min/week (t[701] = 2.35, adjusted p = .0489) and aWASO decreased from T1 to T3 (t[258] = 2.53, adjusted p value = 0.036). Lastly, there was a main effect for Time for the PSQI (F[2,689] = 52.11, p < 0.0001), indicating that sleep quality improved over time.
conclusionsSome level of exercise among pregnant women appears to be more advantageous than no exercise at all. Moderate exercise, while still unclearly defined, may be a worthwhile adjunct treatment to combat sleep disturbances during pregnancy.
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Registered trials
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