The effects of fetal movement and maternal periodic limb movement on maternal sleep

The etiology of sleep disorders during pregnancy is unclear. The purpose was to investigate the effects of fetal movement and maternal periodic limb movement (PLM) on maternal sleep. A total of 475 pregnant women recorded fetal movement and PLM at night weekly after 28 weeks with a fetal movement acceleration measurement acceleration recorder which has a fetal sensor that attaches to the mother’s abdomen and a maternal sensor that attaches to her thigh. The women who showed PLM at least once were classified into a study group, and the other women were classified into a control group. A total of 15,162.8 hours were recorded from by 396 women, 289 in the study and 107 in the control group. The fetal movement occurrence did not corelate with either time in bed or time spent awake. There were no differences in time spent awake; however, the study group had more time in bed than the control group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, fetal movement does not affect maternal sleep. PLM does not affect the time spent awake but increases the time in bed.