Persistent short sleep during pregnancy linked to metabolic syndrome

Short sleep duration that persists during pregnancy and for two to seven years after delivery is associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome, according to a study published online Dec. 26 in JAMA Network Open.

Minjee Kim, M.D., from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues examined whether persistently short sleep duration during pregnancy and after delivery is associated with incident hypertension and metabolic syndrome in a secondary analysis of the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be Heart Health Study. Participants were recruited during their first pregnancy between Oct. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2013, and were followed for a mean of 3.1 years after delivery. Persistent short sleep was defined as self-reported short sleep duration (less than seven hours) during pregnancy and two to seven years after delivery.

Overall, 14.4 percent of the 3,922 participants experienced persistent short sleep. The researchers found that compared with non-Hispanic White and married participants, non-Hispanic Black and unmarried participants were significantly more likely to experience persistent short sleep (adjusted odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 2.17 [1.59 to 2.97] and 1.68 [1.29 to 2.19], respectively). Higher odds of incident metabolic syndrome, but not incident hypertension, were seen in association with persistent short sleep (adjusted odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.60 [1.2 to 2.11] and 0.91 [0.69 to 1.19], respectively).

“These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions aimed at improving sleep health among populations at increased risk to mitigate adverse health outcomes and to promote health equity,” the authors write.

One author disclosed receiving grants from Genentech.

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