Sleep disorders may double the risk of delivering for pregnant women

New York, Aug 9 (IANS)    An analysis has shown that  double the risk of delivering their babies for a Pregnant women who suffer with sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea and insomnia before 34 weeks.

The findings showed that the prevalence of preterm birth -- defined as delivery before 37 weeks' gestation -- was 14.6 per cent for women diagnosed with a sleep disorder during pregnancy compared to 10.9 per cent for women who were not. 

The odds of early preterm birth -- before 34 weeks -- was more than double for women with sleep apnoea and nearly double for women with insomnia.

Treating sleep disorders during pregnancy could be a way to reduce the preterm rate which is about 10 per cent in the US, more than most other highly developed countries, said lead author Jennifer Felder, post-doctoral student at the University of California - San Francisco.

For the study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the team analysed 2,265 women with a sleep disorder diagnosis during pregnancy. They were then matched to those who did not have such a diagnosis but had identical maternal risk factors for preterm birth such as a previous preterm birth, smoking during pregnancy or hypertension.

"What's so exciting about this study is that a sleep disorder is a potentially modifiable risk factor," Felder said.

Globally, 15 million babies are born prematurely -- more than three weeks before the typical full-term pregnancy of 40 weeks -- each year. 

Among these, 1.1 million die from birth-related complications while others are left with hearing impairment, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and other health issues.