الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Sleep is absolutely essential for the human body to function properly. Lack of sleep affects daily functions and the thought process. Women are twice as likely as men to have difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep. For most women, pregnancy is a time of great change in a woman’s life, it can also be a time of serious sleep disturbances, and Therefore sleep is altered and may not return to the quality of pre-pregnancy for several years after birth of the child. Sleep disturbances are a harbinger of sleep disorders are not recognized and treated, there can be significant negative effects for the woman and her unborn child (Signal et al., 2007) (105)
Sleep disorder can adversely affect the health of the pregnant women as well as the health of their babies. It was found that women who slept fewer than 6 hours per night had longer labors more likely to have cesarean deliveries. Moreover, they are more likely to experience hypertension, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes (Miller et al., 2007).(28)
Ultimately the goal of active management of pregnancy is to improve the quality of sleep of pregnant women, thus decreasing maternal mortality and morbidity. This can be achieved through informed women about the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on pregnancy . Obstetricians should ask questions pertaining to the quantity and patterns of sleep their patients are experiencing. The majority of women do not proactively report their complaints of sleep deprivation to their physicians. (38)
Aim of the study
This study aims to identify the patterns of sleep among pregnant women.
Settings
This study was executed at the ante-natal clinic at EL-Shatby Maternity University Hospital in Alexandria .This sitting was particularly selected because the number of attendants in antenatal clinic is satisfactory for the study.