AsianScientist (Jan. 9, 2017) – Poor quality sleep has been linked to developing diabetes while pregnant. These findings, published in the journal SLEEP, suggest that addressing sleep concerns during pregnancy could potentially reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
GDM, which is diagnosed by high blood glucose levels, is one of the most common health problems during pregnancy. Unmanaged high glucose levels in pregnancy can result in complications that can affect both mother and child including pre-term labor, obstructed labor, birth trauma, high blood pressure for mothers, and increased risk of mother and fetal deaths.
Sleep has been identified as one of the factors that affects glucose metabolism, and some studies have indicated that short sleep is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. However, few studies have examined the relationship between sleep and GDM, especially in an Asian population. Recent work suggests that adults in Singapore are among the most sleep-deprived in the world. This lack of sleep could contribute to GDM in Asian women, who are already at increased risk of GDM compared with Caucasian women.
To determine if short sleep duration is associated with increased risk of GDM, Associate Professor Joshua Gooley from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) and Dr. Cai Shirong from the National University of Singapore, analyzed the sleep and glucose levels of participants in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study.
The researchers surveyed 686 women on their sleep patterns and measured their glucose levels in a standard clinical test (oral glucose tolerance test) at 26 to 28 weeks of gestation. Of the 686 participants who had their glucose levels measured, 131 (19 percent) were diagnosed with GDM.
Statistical analyses were run to assess whether exposure to short sleep, defined as less than six hours per night, was associated with greater odds of having GDM. The researchers found that short sleep was associated with increased risk of GDM, after adjusting for factors including age, body mass index (BMI), and history of GDM. Interestingly, the frequency of GDM was highest (27.3 percent) in women who reported sleeping less than six hours a night and was lowest (16.8 percent) in women who reported sleeping between seven to eight hours a night.
Results are consistent with findings which show that short sleep is associated with Type 2 diabetes in non-pregnant populations.
“Our results raise the possibility that good sleep habits could reduce the likelihood of developing hyperglycemia and GDM,” said Gooley. “With the recently launched ‘War on Diabetes’ in Singapore, the importance of healthy sleep habits should be emphasized to doctors and patients, in addition to initiatives that are geared toward improving other lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise.”
“Additional studies are needed to assess the contribution of other modifiable lifestyle factors to GDM risk,” added Cai.
The article can be found at: Cai et al. (2016) Sleep Quality and Nocturnal Sleep Duration in Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
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Source: Duke-NUS Medical School.
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