Maternal sleep during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aims/Introduction Sleep problems are important public health concern worldwide. We carried out a meta‐analysis to quantitatively evaluate whether sleep duration was associated with pregnancy outcomes, and the associations were modified by important characteristics of studies. Materials and Methods Based on PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, we searched for published literature related to maternal sleep duration and adverse pregnancy outcomes before 30 June 2021. We carried out risk of bias assessment, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis. The relative risks or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the pooled effects. Results A total of 5,246 references were identified through a database search, and 41 studies were included in the study. Pregnant women with short sleep duration had 1.81‐fold (95% CI 1.35–2.44, P < 0.001) the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus. The association between short sleep duration and the risk of gestational hypertension, cesarean section, low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age were not significant ( P > 0.05). Furthermore, long sleep duration was significantly correlated with gestational diabetes mellitus (odds ratio1.24. 95% CI 1.12–1.36, P < 0.001) and CS (odds ratio 1.13. 95% CI 1.04–1.22, P = 0.004), whereas long sleep duration was not linked with gestational hypertension, low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age ( P > 0.05). Conclusions Short/long sleep duration appeared to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, specifically with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Sleep should be systematically screened in the obstetric population.

Effect of Sleep Restriction during Pregnancy on Fetal Brain Programming and Neurocognitive Development of Offspring: A Review

“…66 Sleep loss during pregnancy is a potential risk factor for various psychological disorders in the offspring, which is also emphasized through a few recent meta-analyses. 10,16,[67][68][69] These findings from the rat model illustrate the importance of adequate sleep during late pregnancy for proper neuropsychological development in the offspring (►Fig. 4).…”

“…Evidences from both the controlled studies carried out in rodent models and the epidemiological studies in human subjects emphasized on the fact that decreased sleep quality during pregnancy is a potential novel risk factor for neurocognitive development of the offspring. [4][5][6]18,[67][68][69]76 It is a challenging task to take optimal care of newborns with a relatively immature brain. There is pestering need to conduct research in humans as well as animal models to explore the effects of unavoidable photic and other stimulations in the neonatal ICUs (the preterm human babies) on the development of an optimal arousal system as these critical conditions of postnatal hyperstimulation may affect autonomic nervous and alter behavior in growing babies.…”

Behavior reallocations within 24‐h movement profiles and change in cardiometabolic biomarkers during pregnancy

“…We observed this association even when reallocating time from MVPA to sleep for an initial 24‐h movement profile with low sleep (6 h). Although adequate sleep is beneficial [32], a 30‐min reallocation is a moderate increase in sleep that may not have been enough to offset the impact of reducing MVPA.…”

“…is beneficial [32], a 30-min reallocation is a moderate increase in sleep that may not have been enough to offset the impact of reducing MVPA.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale in Portuguese Pregnant Women

“…16 Adequate sleep duration and quality is also crucial in reducing the risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and fetal macrosomia postpartum depression. [17][18][19] In addition, there is a significant relationship between sleep disturbances during pregnancy and postpartum depression, 20 which highlights the importance of early diagnosis and prenatal intervention. On the other hand, high levels of stress during pregnancy have been associated with adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and emotional, behavioral, and cognitive issues in the child.…”