Research library
The studies behind Solas's recommendations.
Each entry is a plain-language explanation of a peer-reviewed sleep study, written so you can decide whether to act on it. We link to every original paper. This is a curated subset of our full internal library; new entries are added as we verify them. See how we select and review research.
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Behavioral therapy
CBT-I works for perinatal insomnia — and helps mood, too
If you have a structured choice between sleep meds and a few weeks of CBT-I — even a digital version — CBT-I has the strongest evidence base for perinatal insomnia, with a meaningful secondary effect on depressive symptoms.
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Exercise
Resistance training is the best exercise for perinatal sleep
If you can pick only one type of movement during pregnancy, the strongest sleep-quality evidence points to resistance training (1–2× per week, 30–60 min) — not yoga, walking, or swimming.
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Supplements
Magnesium-L-threonate improved sleep in a placebo-controlled trial
Of the magnesium forms studied for sleep, magnesium-L-threonate has the strongest single RCT — 1 g/day for three weeks improved both subjective and objective sleep quality versus placebo.
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Bedroom environment
Even moderate room light during sleep harms metabolism
If a streetlight, hallway light, or charging LED puts ~100 lux on your bed, one night of that measurably impairs how your body handles glucose the next morning. Aim for under 3 lux at the pillow.
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Light exposure
Blue-blocking glasses moved melatonin onset 28 minutes earlier in pregnancy
If you're in late pregnancy and your bedtime keeps drifting later, full amber blue-blocking glasses for 2–3 hours before bed measurably advance your body's own melatonin signal.
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Postpartum sleep
Breastfeeding mothers slept 40 minutes more per night
The folk wisdom that 'formula = more sleep' isn't supported by the data. In this trial, exclusive breastfeeding was associated with about 40 minutes more maternal sleep per night at 3 months postpartum — and partners slept more, too.
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Bedroom environment
A HEPA air purifier added 12 minutes of sleep per night
Running a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom is one of the cleanest, most boring interventions with measurable sleep effects — about 12 extra minutes of sleep per night in a controlled crossover trial.
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Sleep disorders
OSA in pregnancy: the SASM/SOAP consensus guideline
If you snore, gasp, or have witnessed apneas during pregnancy — especially with obesity, chronic hypertension, or a preeclampsia history — pregnancy-specific OSA screening (Facco, Louis, BATE) is more accurate than the standard tools, home sleep tests are acceptable, and CPAP is the standard treatment.
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Sleep disorders
Mild OSA is hidden in most pregnant women with obesity — and tracks with glucose
Two out of three pregnant women with obesity in this study had undiagnosed mild sleep apnea, and the worse their breathing was, the worse their glucose handling and stress hormones looked — even before they met any criteria for gestational diabetes.
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Circadian rhythm
Sleep timing and consistency matter as much as duration
Going to bed at the same time most nights is doing more work than total hours slept does. The variability in your bedtime — not just the average — is a meaningful health signal.
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Behavioral therapy
Online mindfulness reduced insomnia in pregnancy in an RCT
If CBT-I isn't accessible, an online mindfulness program is the next-strongest evidence-based behavioral option for insomnia in pregnancy — with a 2025 RCT showing meaningful reduction in insomnia severity.