Less Sleep During Pregnancy May Delay Baby’s Brain Development – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jan. 16, 2025) – Sleep doesn’t always come easily for expecting mothers. Hormonal shifts, pregnancy-related discomfort, and frequent nighttime bathroom visits can make uninterrupted rest hard to achieve.

In fact, 40% of pregnant women experience short sleep duration (SSD)—logging fewer than seven hours per night. Just as insufficient sleep is linked to a number of metabolic disorders like heart disease and obesity, it also heightens these women’s chances of developing glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and gestational diabetes.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, scientists have found that not getting enough sleep during pregnancy may affect fetal glucose metabolism and contribute to neurodevelopmental delays in children.

While carrying a baby, maternal health can be crucial for shaping fetal development and the child’s future well-being. Brain development is an energy-intensive process that relies heavily on a steady glucose supply. Consequently, disruptions in glucose control from fetal programming—the way a fetus adapts to cues from the mother’s body—can have lasting effects on memory, learning, speech, emotion and other cognitive functions later in life.

To help develop pregnancy sleep guidelines that can support both maternal health and child development, researchers from Anhui Medical University in China examined the relationship between SSD during gestation and children’s neurodevelopment in early years. They also explored whether fetal glucose metabolism plays a role in this connection.

The study tracked 7059 mother-child pairs across three hospitals and children’s health centers in Hefei. Sleep data were collected from mothers in mid- and late-pregnancy and their child’s development was screened at 6 months up until three years post-partum. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected at delivery to measure C-peptide levels, a marker indicating the amount of insulin the baby is producing.

The analysis revealed that mothers who experienced inadequate sleep while pregnant were at a higher risk of having children with neurodevelopmental delays. Additionally, increased fetal insulin secretion was linked with impaired neurodevelopment. The team suggested that sleep deprivation in pregnant mothers may interfere with blood glucose regulation, which could, in turn, affect the baby’s insulin levels and the pace development of cognitive abilities.

Interestingly, this increased risk of delays only appeared in boys, while girls showed no significant effects from their mothers’ lack of sleep. Research have long established that male fetuses are generally more susceptible to prenatal exposures that cause inflammation, such as poor sleep health.

Peng Zhu, a professor at Anhui Medical University and lead author of the study said, “By shedding light on the connection between maternal sleep during pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopment, our study empowers families with knowledge that can shape healthier pregnancy habits and contribute to the well-being of the next generation.”

While growing evidence echoes the importance of maternal sleep quality in a child’s long-term health, it is likely just one of several factors influencing specific developmental outcomes. Genetics and the environment can also play significant roles.

However, pregnant mothers may still benefit from consulting with their doctors about any sleep difficulties and discussing strategies for achieving a more consistent and restful sleep schedule.

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Source: Anhui Medical University; Image: Shelly Liew/Asian Scientist Magazine

The article can be found at Association of Maternal Short Sleep Duration With Neurodevelopmental Delay in Offspring: A Prospective Cohort Study Get access Arrow.

Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.