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Systematic review
Impact of postpartum physical activity on maternal sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  1. Paris A T Jones1,
  2. Stephanie-May Ruchat2,
  3. Zain Khan-Afridi1,
  4. Muhammad Usman Ali3,
  5. Brittany A Matenchuk1,
  6. Sierra Leonard1,
  7. Andrew WE Jantz1,
  8. Kier Vander Leek1,
  9. Lauren Maier1,
  10. Laura Osachoff1,
  11. Melanie J Hayman4,
  12. Milena Forte5,
  13. Allison Sivak6,
  14. Margie H Davenport1
  1. 1 Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Physical Activity and Diabetes Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, Alberta Diabetes Institute, University of Alberta, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  2. 2 Department of Human Kinetics, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
  3. 3 McMaster Evidence Review and Synthesis Centre and Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  4. 4 Central Queensland University School of Human Health and Social Sciences, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
  5. 5 Department of Family and Community Medicine, MT Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  6. 6 Geoffrey & Robyn Sperber Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Margie H Davenport; mdavenpo{at}ualberta.ca

Abstract

Objective To examine the relationship between postpartum physical activity and maternal sleep.

Design Systematic review with random-effects meta-analysis. Online databases were searched through 20 January 2025.

Study eligibility criteria Studies of all designs (except case studies and reviews) in all languages were eligible if they contained information on the population (individuals up to 1 year post partum); interventions/exposures (including subjective or objective measures of frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise, alone (‘exercise only’) or in combination with other intervention components (eg, dietary; ‘exercise+co-intervention’)); comparator (low volume or no physical activity) and outcomes: sleep duration, quality, latency, efficiency, disturbance and fatigue.

Results 12 unique studies (n=3096) from nine countries were included. Moderate certainty of evidence showed that exercise-only interventions were associated with a greater improvement in sleep quality (five randomised controlled trials (RCTs), n=375, standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.44, 95% CI −0.79 to –0.09) compared with no exercise. High certainty of evidence showed that exercise interventions were associated with a greater improvement in daytime/general fatigue (six RCTs, n=535, SMD −0.56, 95% CI −1.06 to –0.05) compared with no exercise. No effect was found for sleep duration, latency, efficiency, or disturbance.

Conclusion Postpartum physical activity improves maternal sleep quality and daytime/general fatigue.

  • Exercise
  • Sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Meta-analysis

Data availability statement

No data are available.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108839

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    Data availability statement

    No data are available.

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    Footnotes

    • X @mel_hayman, @milena_forte, @ExercisePreg

    • Contributors MHD, S-MR, MU and MF contributed to the conception of the study. MHD, S-MR, MU, AS and MF contributed to the design of the study and development of the search strategy. AS conducted the systematic search. ZK-A, BAM, SL, AWEJ, KVL, LM, PATJ and LOO completed the acquisition of data. ZK-A, BAM, SL, AWEJ, KVL, LM, PATJ and LOO performed the data analysis. All authors assisted with the interpretation. PATJ, ZK-A and MHD were the principal writers of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the drafting and revision of the final article. All authors approved the final submitted version of the manuscript. MHD is the guarantor.

    • Funding S-MR is funded by the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières research chair in physical activity and maternal and neonatal health. BAM is funded by a CIHR Doctoral Studentship and WCHRI Graduate Scholarship. MHD is funded by a Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.