Lack of sleep in pregnancy may be linked to gestational diabetes
Pregnant women may develop gestational diabetes due to lack of sleep, a new study suggested.
The amount of time spent sleeping has dropped significantly in the past twenty years with almost a quarter of women and 16 percent of men experiencing insufficient sleep, outlookindia.com reported.
“Links between reduced sleep duration and increased diabetes risk have been reported in several large studies in non-pregnant populations,” said Dr. Sirimon Reutrakul, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.
The research has also linked short sleep duration to elevated blood sugar levels in pregnant women, but many of them were small.
“More information is needed to determine if short sleep duration is a contributing factor to the development of gestational diabetes,” said Reutrakul who’s also the lead author of the study.
Pregnant women often suffer gestational diabetes, a condition which usually occurs in the second or third trimester.
Most healthcare providers suggest that pregnant women undergo a blood sugar screening test between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
A woman is at an increased risk for having gestational diabetes if their blood sugar levels are elevated. Therefore, an additional test is then needed to diagnose gestational diabetes.
Usually, there are no symptoms in the mother, and blood sugar levels return to normal after the baby is born.