Sleep Interventions During Postpartum in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes: A Scoping Review Protocol

Background: Women who develop gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy, irrespective of their pre-existing conditions, have an increased likelihood of developing diabetes postpartum compared to normoglycemic pregnancies. Studies indicate 50% of mothers with a history of GDM are 7 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (DM), and a positive association to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Type 1 or type 2 diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy increases an infant's risk of congenital anomalies such as: stillbirth and fetal macrosomia. In addition to already known risk factors, sleep deficiency is a relatively new and emerging risk factor associated with GDM complications. However, little is known about sleep interventions to improve sleep during postpartum in women with a history of gestational diabetes.

Scoping review question: What is the evidence regarding sleep interventions during postpartum in women with a history of GDM?

Objective: Examine literature on sleep interventions in postpartum women with a history of GDM.

Materials and Methods: Joanna Briggs Institution (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews reflects the background, scoping review question, and inclusion criteria. Sources published in English from 2010 to present will be screened in the study as evidence. Additional gray literature sources will include Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, and Emcare. Critical appraisal of the literature will be conducted and tabulated, accompanying narrative summaries that will be presented in the final review. Main elements and key concepts of the literature articles were conceptualized for the background.

Inclusion criteria: Eligible studies will include postpartum women with a history of GDM, with participants ranging in age from 18 to 45 years old. All sleep intervention research studies are considered during the postpartum period.

Conclusion: Sleep deprivation has gradually become a significant risk factor for GDM and DM. Mothers appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of sleep deprivation on cardiometabolic risk and mortality. Examples of studies that met our inclusion criteria include "Ethnic Differences in Perinatal Outcome of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus," "Sleep Health: Can we Define it? Does it Matter?" and "Prevalence of Healthy Sleep Duration among Adults- United States 2014".