Effects of Yoga on Sleep and Stress in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

NCT07085026 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IUC-SBF-GŞ-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 112
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Many physiological and psychological changes occur during pregnancy. Sleep and stress are among these changes and can negatively impact the pregnancy process. Yoga can improve sleep quality and stress levels during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of yoga, implemented in the third trimester of pregnancy according to World Health Organization guidelines, on sleep and stress.

Conditions

Sleep; Stress

Keywords

yoga; sleep; stress; pregnancy; third trimester

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Sleep Quality

  Sleep quality is measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was developed to assess sleep quality and sleep disturbances over the past month. It consists of a total of 24 questions, 19 of which are self-rated items. The remaining 5 questions are used for clinical evaluation and are not included in the scoring. Each item in the scale is rated on a scale from 0 to 3. From the 19 self-rated items, 7 component scores are derived. Some components are based on a single item, while others are formed by combining several items. These components are: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. The total score of the scale is obtained by summing the scores of these 7 components. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. A total score greater than 5 indicates "poor sleep quality."

  It will be assessed at baseline (in the third trimester of pregnancy) and on day 30 after the yoga intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Stress Level

  It will be assessed at baseline (in the third trimester of pregnancy) and on day 30 after the yoga intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will practice yoga in accordance with the WHO guideline recommendations.

Behavioral: Yoga Intervention

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this group will not receive yoga; routine care will be provided.

Interventions

Yoga Intervention BEHAVIORAL

There are studies that have evaluated the effects of prenatal yoga on sleep. None of these studies have reported any negative effects of yoga on pregnancy. In all studies, yoga practice was applied with varying frequencies, durations, and techniques. However, no research has been found that evaluates the effects of a yoga program conducted in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline recommendations on both sleep and stress. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of yoga, practiced during the third trimester of pregnancy in line with WHO guideline recommendations, on sleep and stress.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Voluntarily agreed to participate in the study,
• Aged between 18 and 35 years,
• In the third trimester of pregnancy (between 29 and 42 weeks of gestation),
• Able to read and write in Turkish,
• No prior experience with yoga practice.

You may not qualify if:

• High-risk pregnancy,
• In the first or second trimester,
• Multiple pregnancy,
• Any condition that prevents yoga practice (e.g., restrictions on physical activity),
• Previous experience with yoga practice

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Murat Dilmener Hospital

Istanbul, Bakirköy, 34140, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Tülay TÜLAY Yılmaz, Associate Professor

  Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Gözde GÖZDE Şengün, Undergraduate

CONTACT

+905384262803; gozdeesengun@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Because of the behavioral and observable characteristics of the intervention (yoga in the third trimester of pregnancy), neither assessment nor blinding of investigators was performed.
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Master's Degree Student with Thesis, Istanbul University- Cerrahpasa Midwifery Department

Model Details: Pregnant participants will be randomly assigned to two groups in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will receive a yoga program in accordance with the WHO guideline recommendations, while the control group will receive no intervention and will continue with routine care.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 17, 2025
• First Posted: July 25, 2025
• Study Start: August 21, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: August 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)