Sleep duration, napping behaviors and restless legs syndrome during pregnancy and the trajectories of ultrasonographic measures of fetal growth: Findings from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies–Singletons

Abstract

Objectives. Given the plausible mechanisms and the lacking of empirical evidence, the study aims to investigate how gestational sleep behaviors and the development of sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, influence ultrasonographic measures of fetal growth. Methods. The study included 2457 pregnant women from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies - Singletons (2009-2013), who were recruited between 8-13 gestational weeks and followed up to five times during pregnancy. Women were categorized into six groups based on their total sleep hours and napping frequency. The trajectory of estimated fetal weight from 10-40 weeks was derived from three ultrasonographic measures. Linear mixed effect models were applied to model the estimated fetal weight in relation to self-reported sleep-napping behaviors and restless legs syndrome status, adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, education, parity, prepregnancy body mass index category, infant sex, and prepregnancy sleep-napping behavior. Results. From enrollment to near delivery, pregnant women’s total sleep duration and nap frequency declined and restless legs syndrome symptoms frequency increased generally. No significant differences in estimated fetal weight were observed by sleep-napping group or by restless legs syndrome status. Results remained similar in sensitivity analyses and stratified analyses by women’s prepregnancy body mass index category (normal vs. overweight/obese) or by infant sex. Conclusions. Our data indicate that there is no association between sleep during pregnancy—assessed as total sleep duration and napping frequency, nor restless legs syndrome symptoms—and fetal growth from weeks 10 to 40 in healthy pregnant women.