Maternal stress during pregnancy showed a small but significant association with child sleep problems and sleep disturbance, according to recent ECHO Cohort research led by Sarah Dee Geiger, PhD and Susan Schantz, PhD of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Aruna Chandran, MD, MPH and Marie L. Churchill, MS of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. This effect was seen even when the researchers accounted for the influence of maternal stress after pregnancy.

“Sleep is crucial for child vitality, and poor sleep quality is common among kids in the U.S., so any modifiable factor that affects it is worth paying attention to,” said Dr. Geiger. “In this case, getting moms’ stress down during pregnancy and beyond will have positive effects on their children’s sleep quality, setting them up for a healthier childhood and beyond.”

“Poor quality sleep has all kinds of health implications in childhood and beyond,” added Dr. Schantz. “Yet we don’t have a good understanding of the environmental factors that contribute to poor sleep quality in children. This study of children from several cohorts across the U.S. sheds new light on the impact maternal stress, both prenatal and postnatal may have on child sleep.”

Additional studies can help researchers understand the biological mechanisms and social determinants underlying the relationship between maternal stress and child sleep. Read the research summary here.