Associations of sleep duration, sedentary behaviours and energy expenditure with maternal glycemia in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND

Women with high levels of physical activity (PA) are less likely to develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but the relations with sleep and sedentary behaviours (SB) are more controversial. We aimed to investigate all three components (sleep, PA, and SB) and their association with maternal glucose in pregnancy.

METHODS

We included 766 pregnant women recruited at first trimester and that we followed at second trimester. We collected blood samples, anthropometry and standardized questionnaires about lifestyle including PA, SB, and sleep duration at both visits. Women completed a 50 g glucose challenge test at first trimester and 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at second trimester. We conducted regression analyses to test cross-sectional associations between sleep, PA, and SB with maternal glucose levels while taking into account potential confounders (maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gravidity, and smoking). We considered linear and quadratic relationships.

RESULTS

At first trimester, we observed a linear relationship between shorter sleep duration and higher glucose levels, which was attenuated after adjustments for confounders. At second trimester, we found a quadratic relationship between sleep and glucose showing lowest levels at fasting and 1 h-post OGTT for women who slept 6-10 h/night. This association remained significant after adjusting for confounders and taking into account PA and/or SB. Greater amount of SB was associated with higher 1 h-glucose after adjustment for confounders (β = 0.132; SE = 0.047; P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep duration is associated with glucose regulation in pregnancy, independently of PA and SB, and this association varies according to the period of gestation.

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