Which of the following is characteristic of sleep during the second trimester of pregnancy?

Which of the following is characteristic of sleep during the second trimester of pregnancy?

• A. Total sleep time (TST) decreases to pre-pregnancy levels
• B. Shortness of breath decreases
• C. REM sleep decreases
• D. Slow-wave sleep (SWS) decreases

Answer: (A)

In the second trimester, overall sleep tends to normalize toward the person’s pre-pregnancy pattern, with total sleep time returning closer to baseline. That means nocturnal sleep duration often decreases from the more disrupted, disrupted-first-trimester pattern and shifts back toward pre-pregnancy levels as energy and comfort improve for many individuals. Shortness of breath isn’t reliably decreased in this stage; symptoms of breathlessness can persist or become more noticeable later as the pregnancy progresses, so stating a decrease isn’t a consistent hallmark. REM sleep and slow-wave sleep can vary among individuals and across studies, but neither shows a consistent, defining decrease during the second trimester.

In the second trimester, overall sleep tends to normalize toward the person’s pre-pregnancy pattern, with total sleep time returning closer to baseline. That means nocturnal sleep duration often decreases from the more disrupted, disrupted-first-trimester pattern and shifts back toward pre-pregnancy levels as energy and comfort improve for many individuals.

Shortness of breath isn’t reliably decreased in this stage; symptoms of breathlessness can persist or become more noticeable later as the pregnancy progresses, so stating a decrease isn’t a consistent hallmark. REM sleep and slow-wave sleep can vary among individuals and across studies, but neither shows a consistent, defining decrease during the second trimester.