Chijioke Iremeka
Sufficient sleep is needed for good maternal and foetal development during pregnancy, experts have advised.
The physicians said lack of quality sleep increases pregnancy complications and affects the optimal development of the baby.
According to a study carried out by Johns Hopkins Medicine, women who do not get enough sleep during pregnancy may be at a higher risk of developing pregnancy-related complications that include high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.
It also suggests that such women may experience prolonged labour and higher rates of caesarean sections, especially for those who get less than six hours of sleep over the course of 24 hours.
A family physician at the Anambra State Ministry of Health, Anambra State, Dr Chidumeje Okafor said quality sleep during pregnancy mother should last between eight to 10 hours.
“Doctors recommend such but in Africa, it is not easy to get six hours of sleep due to the hustling and bustling as well as the struggles to make ends meet,” he added.
According to him, quality sleep gives pregnant women the opportunity to rest and for the body to reset itself.
Okafor noted that it is an opportunity for the cardiovascular system, the heart, the brain and others to reset themselves in order to deliver vital oxygen to the body.
“During such quality sleep, metabolism is reduced to a significant level. The production of toxins and Carbon Dioxide is also reduced thereby, giving room for the delivery of more oxygen to the body.
“Coming to the foetus, quality of sleep also helps in delivering more oxygen to the baby because when the pregnant woman is sleeping, she breathes well and that helps to deliver oxygen to the placenta and blood to the baby.
“Just like normal saying that you may not know the importance of water in your well until the water dries up. For us to understand the importance of sleep, let’s now know what happens when there is no sleep, that is, the disadvantages of poor sleep in pregnancy.
“I will discuss it in three stages – the prenatal stage, which is when the baby is still in the womb; then during labour and third, after delivery because mother and child development does not actually end in delivery.
“If it ends in delivery, there won’t be the need for breastfeeding for one year; exclusive breastfeeding, cuddling and all that. So the development starts from conception until the child becomes independent to make his or her own moves.
“In the early prenatal stage, around 20 weeks or so, if there is no good sleep, it will lead to trophoblastic invasion and there could be early miscarriages. Abortions may occur due to sleep deprivation. Poor sleep during pregnancy can lead to hypertension, which is referred to as preeclampsia.
“Trophoblast invasion is a tightly regulated battle between the competing interests of the survival of the foetus and those of the mother. They are cells forming the outer layer of a blastocyst, which provides nutrients to the embryo and develops into a large part of the placenta.
“When trophoblast invades the placenta, there will be an increased resistance to blood flow, thereby, leading to protein in the mother that could get up to 300ml in urine. The blood pressure rises, leading to pregnancy loss and other complications.
“Also, lack of sleep in pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes, that is, diabetes that newly appeared in pregnant women that has not been diagnosed with diabetes before. By that, we mean an abnormal blood sugar where the body can’t produce enough insulin to handle the sugar in the metabolised food.
“Coming to labour, it results in serious labour pain. Each time there is a contraction, the pain triples and this can lead to maternal noncompliance and uncooperativeness during labour. It leads to prolonged labour.
“Normal labour shouldn’t last more than 12 hours and if induced, it shouldn’t last beyond 16 hours. Of course, you will expect that lack of adequate sleep in pregnant women leads to increased caesarean section delivery. There is also the risk of prenatal depression and postpartum depression.”
A Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at Epe General Hospital, Epe, Lagos State, Dr Cynthia Okafor said sleep is more important to pregnant women carrying another life in their bodies.
She noted that the sleep pattern of pregnant women also affects the development of their babies, saying that the patterns are also affected by the biological changes of pregnancy.
“Sleep disorders are observed in 78 per cent of pregnant women and so ensure regular sleep is established at the beginning of pregnancy to address this problem.
“An expectant mother needs to sleep for at least six hours per day. The possibility of a normal birth in pregnant women whose sleep pattern is disrupted is reduced by up to four or five times, according to research.
“To the unborn child, the effects of sleep can’t be underestimated. The biggest indicator of this is the progesterone hormone, which is needed for the continuity of the pregnancy.
“The reason for the increasing need of sleep in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester is due to an increased secretion of progesterone during sleep. This causes excessive sleepiness and a constant feeling of fatigue during the daytime. We recommend expectant mothers to choose an appropriate and comfortable sleep position.
“Initiating quality and good sleep patterns during pregnancy is effective, not only physically but also psychologically. A good sleep pattern plays an important role in the preparation for birth, and protects the baby from psychological stress and strains.”
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
