Effects of mind–body therapies on sleep quality in perinatal women

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Bibliographic Data

ID22067047
AuthorsLongkang Guo (Shandong Sport University), Yuchao Li (0000-0003-0839-2099, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), Lintao Suo (Shandong Sport University), Jingyuan Yang (0000-0003-3861-2777, Shandong Sport University), Xuehaiyue Lv (Shandong Sport University), Hengyi Song (Shandong Sport University), Wei Han (0000-0001-9678-3190, Shandong Sport University)
Year2026
Volume14
Pages1857655-1857655
Publication date2026-06-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2026.1857655
PMID42388735
OpenAlexW7165031474
LanguageEN
References cited56

Background Sleep quality often worsens in perinatal women because of physiological, endocrine, and psychosocial changes. This may increase the risk of maternal and infant complications, making it a public health concern. Because pharmacological treatments may pose safety risks, mind–body therapies have gained attention as a safe non-pharmacological option. However, current evidence mainly focuses on single intervention types, and their overall effect on sleep quality in perinatal women remains unclear. Methods We systematically searched seven databases—PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect—and other sources up to January 20, 2026, to identify randomized controlled trials examining the effects of mind–body therapies on sleep quality in perinatal women. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (ROB2) tool. Meta-analysis was performed in Stata 17 using a random-effects model. Subgroup, sensitivity, and publication bias analyses were also conducted. In addition, the certainty of evidence for the primary outcome was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results A total of 13 randomized controlled trials involving 782 participants were included. The main interventions were mindfulness, Pilates, and yoga. Meta-analysis showed that, compared with controls, mind–body therapies significantly improved sleep quality in perinatal women (MD = −2.63, 95% CI −3.36 to −1.90). However, substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies (I 2 = 89.0%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed significant between-group differences by country ( P < 0.05), intervention duration ( P < 0.01), and session length ( P < 0.05), suggesting that these factors may partly explain heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis and risk-of-bias assessment suggested that the results were statistically robust, and no significant publication bias was detected ( P = 0.900). According to GRADE, the certainty of evidence for the primary outcome was rated as low. Conclusions Mind–body therapies effectively improve sleep quality in perinatal women and may serve as a useful adjunct in clinical sleep health management. However, the certainty of evidence was rated as low according to GRADE; therefore, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and further confirmed by high-quality studies. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261290532 , identifier: CRD420261290532

Cochrane Library · MEDLINE · Meta-analysis · Psychological intervention · Psychosocial · Quality of evidence · Randomized controlled trial · Systematic review · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Neonatal and fetal brain pathology · Sleep and related disorders

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