Poor sleep is defined as sleeping less than seven hours per night. Pregnant women may have difficulty sleeping due to hormonal changes, discomfort during pregnancy, frequent urination, and other factors.
It is reported that approximately 40% of pregnant women suffer from lack of sleep.
These women may be at greater risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and gestational diabetes, and their babies may be at greater risk of neurodevelopmental delay. These children are slower to develop their social, emotional, behavioral, motor, cognitive or speech skills.
“This study highlights the necessity of sleep health management during pregnancy,” said study lead author Dr Ping Zhou, from Anhui Medical University and the Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Population Health Across the Life Course in Hefei, China. By highlighting the relationship between maternal sleep during pregnancy and neurodevelopment in children, our study empowers families with knowledge that can shape healthier pregnancy habits and contribute to the well-being of the next generation. “Improving sleep habits during pregnancy may prevent or reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental problems in children.”
The researchers analyzed sleep data from 7,059 mother-child pairs from three different hospitals in China.
They screened the children for developmental delays from ages 6 months to 3 years and analyzed the relationship between maternal sleep duration and risk of neurodevelopmental delay. They also evaluated the role of C-peptide levels in cord blood serum, which is a consistent indicator of fetal insulin secretion.
The study reached the following results:
Lack of sleep during pregnancy may be linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental problems in children, which affects their cognitive abilities, behavioral development, and learning abilities.
Boys appear to be at greater risk of neurodevelopmental delay when their mothers suffer from sleep disturbance during pregnancy, suggesting that sex plays a crucial role in offspring’s response to environmental factors before birth.
– Sleep disturbance during pregnancy may affect the mother’s glucose metabolism, and thus affect the fetal growth environment.
There may be a positive correlation between C-peptide levels in umbilical cord blood and delayed neurodevelopment in offspring, which indicates that the mother’s glucose metabolism during pregnancy may affect the fetus’s insulin secretion, and thus its neurodevelopment.
“Prenatal health is important not only for the pregnant mother but also for the long-term health of the unborn child,” Zhou said.
Source: Medical Express
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2024-09-27 14:05:23
