According to growing evidence, exposure to light before bedtime may be associated with impaired glucose regulation in non-pregnant adults.
According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, gestational diabetes affects 4 to 5 out of every 100 pregnant women.
Reading or scrolling under the covers for a long time is one of the common sleeping habits. Are we hearing “yes”? Well, this one is especially for all the pregnant women out there. According to some researchers, pregnant women should reduce these habits to avoid their risk of developing gestational diabetes. According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, gestational diabetes affects 4 to 5 out of every 100 pregnant women. If it is not controlled well it can lead to complications including health issues for the baby. Pregnant women who are exposed to high levels of light in the three hours before bedtime are more likely to develop gestational diabetes, according to new research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine.
“Lights at night may be an unrecognized risk for getting a serious pregnancy complication,” said Dr. Minji Kim, lead author of the study at Northwestern University. Previously, researchers found that people who work shifts are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and that greater exposure to outdoor artificial light at night has also been linked to an increased risk of the condition.
Exposure to light at night is believed to reduce melatonin levels, disrupt the body’s internal clock, and affect various metabolic processes such as blood sugar regulation. Kim continued, “Although we cannot prove it with this observational study, similar mechanisms may play a role in pregnant women.”
According to growing evidence, exposure to light before bedtime may be associated with impaired glucose regulation in non-pregnant adults. However, little is known about the effect of evening light on the risk of developing gestational diabetes, a common pregnancy complication with serious health consequences for both mother and child. This is the first multi-site study to look at the effect of exposure to light before bedtime on the risk of developing gestational diabetes.
“This is worrying,” Kim said, “as gestational diabetes is known to increase obstetric complications, and puts the mother at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and dementia. The chances are high.”
Gestational diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. About 4.5% of first-time pregnant women with a baby born between 2011 and 2013 developed gestational diabetes, a figure expected to rise to 3.4% over the three-year period to 2019. In 2020, the rate of gestational diabetes in the United States was 7.8% of all births.
read all Latest Lifestyle News Here