Transgenerational effects of sleep deprivation: Behavioral and epigenetic implications for maternal and offspring...

Chronic sleep deprivation (CSD), particularly during pregnancy, profoundly impacts maternal and offspring health, driving cognitive, emotional, and physiological disturbances across generations. This review explores the behavioral, neurobiological, and epigenetic consequences of maternal sleep deprivation (MSD), highlighting its mechanisms and transgenerational effects. SD disrupts maternal hormonal balance, elevates stress responses, and compromises neurogenesis, leading to altered maternal behaviors and poor offspring outcomes. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, mediate the transference of SD effects, amplifying risks of anxiety, depression, and cognitive deficits in offspring. These changes impair hippocampal plasticity and immune regulation, exacerbating neuroinflammation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation. Male offspring show heightened sensitivity to metabolic and neurodevelopmental disruptions, indicating a gender-specific vulnerability. Therapeutic strategies such as melatonin supplementation, enriched environments, and nonpharmacological interventions like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) demonstrate potential in mitigating these effects. Promoting maternal sleep hygiene and addressing socioeconomic disparities further protect against adverse outcomes. Emerging evidence underscores the importance of maternal health and lifestyle, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions during pregnancy. Future research should prioritize longitudinal studies to elucidate the mechanisms linking maternal SD to offspring neurodevelopment, evaluate preventive strategies, and address existing gaps in understanding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Enhancing maternal well-being through integrated care approaches is essential to improving long-term health outcomes for mothers and their children.