Children’s Sleep May Depend on Maternal Sleep Duration During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background

Animal studies suggested that maternal sleep during pregnancy was associated with sleep pattern in offspring; however, it has not been clear in human populations.

Aim

Our study discusses the relationships of maternal sleep duration with sleep characteristics in their offspring through an epidemiological study.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional study including 6236 mother–child dyads was conducted in 31 preschools in May 2019, in Shanghai, China. Information regarding maternal sleep duration in three trimesters of pregnancy was collected retrospectively. Children's current sleep characteristics were evaluated through the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Linear regressions and logistic regression models were applied to estimate β and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results

Maternal sleep duration was positively associated with childhood sleep duration, which was shown in the first (β=0.113), second (β=0.131), and third trimesters (β=0.088). Meanwhile, insufficient maternal sleep duration could increase the risk of children's short sleep duration (first trimester: AOR=1.25; second trimester: AOR=1.33; third trimester: AOR=1.33). Maternal sleep duration was also associated with childhood CSHQ score: β=−0.308, −0.392, and −0.300 for the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. Similarly, insufficient maternal sleep duration could predict childhood sleep disturbance as AOR=1.28 in the second trimester and AOR=1.26 in the third trimester.

Conclusion

Our findings established a relationship between maternal sleep during pregnancy and their children's sleep pattern through a population-based epidemiology study. Poor childhood sleep was found when their mother experienced less sleep duration during pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimesters.

Keywords:

• Children’s Sleep Habit Questionnaire
• pregnant women
• preschooler
• sleep duration

Acknowledgment

The study was funded by special grant for Preschool Children’s Health Management from Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81874266, 81673183), and Key Project from Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (18411951600).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.