Thursday, November 3, 2011

Lack Of Sleep & Premature Births

Sleeping while pregnant can sometimes be tough. But now we know it's also important to the child's health.

It turns out that lack of sleep might lead to a premature delivery. Many pregnant women have trouble getting a good night's sleep. Sometimes it's because they are excited and anxious about the new baby and have trouble falling asleep. Other times it's because they need to constantly get up to use the bathroom or suffer from leg cramps. Often times it's just because they simply can't get comfortable and nod off.

According to a new study out of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, pregnant women with sleep problems during their 1st and 3rd trimesters ended up also being more likely to have a premature delivery. Although unsure why this is happening, experts think it might have to do with the stress not sleeping puts on the body and how the pregnancy reacts to that.

But whatever the reason, this study shows the importance of sleep to both the mother to be and the unborn child. Plus it makes it a subject both patient and doctor should bring up during prenatal visits. Hopefully that way a solution can be found that can get mom to be a little more shut eye while waiting for the baby to come.

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