Melatonin and hormonal changes in disturbed sleep during late pregnancy

Abstract

Abstract: Although sleep disturbance is commonly reported in pregnancy, there have been surprisingly few studies on the etiology of this condition. Since most hormones show circadian rhythmicity and maintain specific phase relationships with that of the sleep‐wake cycle, it was of interest to establish whether sleep disturbances covaried with endocrine changes. This overnight study of pregnant women compared melatonin, cortisol, and prolactin secretion rhythms in six good sleepers and six poor sleepers. The groups were compared by ratios of the areas under the various hormonal curves. Significant differences in the cortisol/melatonin ratio were found between the poor sleeper group (lower val..