Association of maternal sleep before and during pregnancy with preterm birth and early infant sleep and temperament

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Kazushige Nakahara1, Takehiro Michikawa2, Seiichi Morokuma3,4

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

Scientific Reports
|July 8, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Maternal sleep quality before and during pregnancy impacts infant temperament and sleep. Poor sleep was linked to intense infant crying and late preterm birth, highlighting sleep

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Perinatal Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Maternal sleep patterns are crucial for pregnancy outcomes and infant development.
  • Existing research indicates potential links between sleep disturbances and adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes.
  • The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) provides a large-scale dataset for investigating these associations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between maternal sleep (pre- and during pregnancy) and preterm birth.
  • To assess the association of maternal sleep with infant sleep and temperament at one month of age.
  • To identify specific sleep characteristics linked to adverse perinatal and infant outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), a large prospective cohort study.
  • Collected self-reported data on maternal sleep patterns before and during pregnancy.
  • Gathered information on infant sleep, temperament, and birth outcomes (including preterm birth) from medical records and questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • Maternal sleep duration and quality before and during pregnancy were not significantly associated with overall preterm birth.
  • Subjective sleep quality during pregnancy showed an association with late preterm birth (34-36 weeks gestation).
  • Infants of mothers reporting less than 6 hours of sleep before pregnancy tended to exhibit intense crying (RR = 1.15).

Conclusions:

  • Maternal sleep quality during pregnancy is a potential factor in late preterm birth.
  • Maternal sleep disturbances before and during pregnancy may influence infant sleep and temperament.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking maternal sleep to perinatal and infant outcomes.

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