When we are pregnant, our body is working at a thousand per hour creating a new life, which is reflected in our energy, making us feel exhausted and need to sleep better rest well.
Now we have one more reason to sleep for longer periods: a new study found that lack of sleep during pregnancy could increase the risk of gestational diabetes.
The study
In order to find out if there was any relationship between lack of rest during pregnancy and gestational diabetes, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted a study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews. To do this, they took the results of eight previous studies that took into account sleep during pregnancy and in which a total of 17,595 women participated.
After adjusting the variables of the eight studies, such as age, body mass index and ethnic group, the researchers they found that pregnant women who slept less than 6.25 hours per night were almost three times more likely to have gestational diabetes, compared to those who slept more than 6.25 hours.
Gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that only occurs during pregnancy, and that is caused because the hormones we produce during pregnancy interfere with the work of insulin, presenting high levels of glucose in the blood.
This disease affects one in ten pregnant women and if it is not treated on time, it could cause other complications such as arterial hypertension, various urinary infections in the mother or cause both mother and baby to suffer from type 2 diabetes in the future. In addition, it increases the risk of premature delivery or respiratory complications in the baby.
The study researchers do not know for sure why lack of rest is related to the risk of suffering from gestational diabetes, but one of their theories is that hormonal changes in pregnancy and systemic inflammation related to lack of rest could create insulin resistance and high blood glucose levels.
How to sleep better during pregnancy?
In addition to this new study, some time ago it was found that pregnant women who have trouble sleeping or who suffer from sleep disorders during the first and third trimesters are more likely to have a premature birth.
Rest well during pregnancy is something that can be complicated for many women, due to all the symptoms and discomfort that can cause us the changes that our body is going through. Actually, having insomnia during pregnancy is quite normal. But then, what can we do to get the rest hours we need while we are pregnant?
The first thing we should do is identify the specific reason why we suffer from insomnia during pregnancy, which can range from back pain, the frequency with which we need to go to the bathroom, restless legs syndrome, typical nausea and vomiting of the first trimester or the movements of the baby during the third. Once we have identified the reason, we can find a way to relieve that discomfort that does not allow us to sleep well.
You may not suffer from insomnia due to physical discomfort and the reason why you cannot have a true restful night's sleep is because all the concerns and doubts that flood your mind during pregnancy, especially in the case of new moms. That concern, if not addressed, can become stress, and we need to take care of our emotional health during pregnancy, so it is important to find a way to relax.
Some things we can do to sleep better in pregnancy are: receive a relaxing massage (remember to be gentle), do breathing and relaxation exercises, avoid stressful activities before going to sleep, eat light dinner a couple of hours before bedtime and keep the bedroom at a pleasant temperature, with a soft light to prepare you to relax and sleep.
Photos | iStock
Via | The New York Times
In Babies and more | Sleep during pregnancy, trimester to trimester, Pregnancy and insomnia: tips for falling asleep for trimesters
