One in ten women struggles to find sleep during pregnancy. The reasons are multiple and often complex. What are the consequences for the baby's development?
The sleep of expecting mothers could influence the brain development of their children. A recent study suggests that nights that are too short may harm the cognitive and behavioral capacities of infants.
Pregnancy leads to major hormonal changes that directly impact sleep quality. As early as the first trimester, progesterone, a key pregnancy hormone, increases significantly, causing marked daytime drowsiness. Paradoxically, this same hormone can disrupt the nighttime sleep cycle, leading to insomnia.
These disturbances are often exacerbated by anxiety, which is common among expecting mothers, and by physical discomforts that intensify with the progression of the pregnancy: lower back pain, muscle cramps, and frequent need to urinate. These physical discomforts cause fragmented nights, contributing to chronic fatigue that is difficult to manage.
However, according to Chinese researchers, insufficient sleep during pregnancy could lead to various issues for the child, including delays in neurological development. Dr. Peng Zhu, the main author of the study, emphasizes the importance of monitoring the sleep quality of pregnant women.
To build their analysis, the scientists studied data from 7,059 mother-child pairs. This survey, conducted between 2015 and 2021, tracked the sleep of pregnant women and assessed the neurological development of their children, aged between six months and three years.
The results are concerning: sleeping less than seven hours per night during pregnancy is strongly associated with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders in the child. Indeed, prolonged lack of sleep can alter the mother's glucose metabolism, leading to poor insulin regulation.
These metabolic disruptions have direct effects on the fetus, affecting its neurological development at critical stages of gestation.
An interesting distinction arises between the sexes. Boys seem to be more vulnerable to the effects of insufficient maternal sleep. This finding was corroborated by blood tests revealing higher levels of C-peptide, which are correlated with developmental delays. Girls, on the other hand, do not show the same risk. The researchers suggest that hormonal and metabolic factors affect brain development differently depending on the sex of the child.
The study of the impact of maternal sleep on children's neurological development could open new perspectives for healthier prenatal practices. The results call for greater awareness of the importance of sleep quality during pregnancy.
Author of the article: Cédric DEPOND