According to a latest study, consuming alcohol during pregnancy and small body size at birth may perhaps predict poorer sleep and increased chances of sleep disorders in 8-year-old children born at term. At least that’s what experts from the organization of American Academy of Sleep Medicine have to say. These findings are clinically important, as poor sleep and sleep disturbances in children are believed to be linked with various diseases. These seem to include obesity, depressive symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and poor neurobehavioral functioning. The findings indicated that lower weight and shorter length at birth seemed to be associated with lower sleep efficiency. In addition, a lower ponderal index appears to be related with the presence of sleep disturbances. This index is known to be an indicator of fetal growth status. It was further observed that, children with short sleep duration were more susceptible to have been born through Cesarean section in contrast to children who sleep for a longer period of time. Chief investigator Katri Raikkonen, PhD, in the department of psychology at the University of Helsinki, Finland claimed that even low levels of weekly prenatal exposure to alcohol could have undesirable effects on sleep quantity and quality during childhood. “The results were in accordance with the fetal origins of health and disease hypothesis and the many studies that have shown that adverse fetal environment may have lifelong influences on health and behavior.

Original Source Prenatal Alchohol, Low Birth Weight Linked to Lifelong Sleep Disturbances