Relationships between objective sleep parameters and inflammatory biomarkers in pregnancy

Area of Science:

• Reproductive health
• Sleep medicine
• Immunology

Background:

• Sleep disturbances are common in late pregnancy.
• Inflammatory biomarkers play a role in pregnancy complications.
• The interplay between sleep architecture and inflammation in pregnancy is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific sleep stages and inflammatory biomarkers in late pregnancy.
• To explore the relationship between sleep architecture and C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-6 soluble receptor.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-four pregnant women underwent overnight polysomnography for sleep assessment.
• Blood samples were collected pre-sleep and post-awakening to measure CRP and IL-6 levels.
• Statistical analyses controlled for relevant covariates to examine sleep-inflammation relationships.

Main Results:

• Higher N3 sleep (deep sleep) was associated with lower evening and morning CRP levels.
• Increased N1 sleep (light sleep) was linked to higher morning IL-6 levels.
• No significant associations were found between sleep continuity and inflammatory biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• Sleep architecture, specifically the proportion of light and deep sleep, is associated with inflammatory markers in late pregnancy.
• Increased light sleep may promote inflammation, whereas increased deep sleep may reduce it.
• These findings highlight the bidirectional relationship between sleep and the immune system during pregnancy.