nutrients-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

The Relationship between Diet and Sleep among Pregnant Women and Children

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 March 2025 | Viewed by 7393

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Behavioral and Social Science, Brown School of Public Health, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Interests: nutrition; obesity; pregnancy; breastfeeding; smoking cessation; smoke avoidance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Interests: childhood obesity; health disparities; obesity prevention; sleep

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sleep has been somewhat recently identified as an important risk factor in the development of obesity and other chronic deleterious conditions, joining diet as an established target in prevention policies and interventions. In particular, diet and sleep have been found to be important in the health of pregnant women and children. Less research has focused on the interrelationships of dietary factors, such as nutrient intake and dietary patterns with sleep quality, quantity, and disruption. This supplement will highlight articles that emphasize the interaction of diet and sleep, specifically emphasizing those with high-quality measurements and a particular focus on hypothesis-driven research.

Dr. Patricia Markham Risica
Dr. Tayla von Ash
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diet
  • nutrients
  • dietary pattern
  • sleep quality
  • sleep quantity
  • sleep disruption

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 1996 KiB  
Article
The Role of Meeting Exercise and Nutrition Guidelines on Sleep during Pregnancy
by Traci A. McCarthy, Sarah M. Velez, Jennifer F. Buckman and Andrea M. Spaeth
Nutrients 2023, 15(19), 4213; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194213 - 29 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1640
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are common during pregnancy. This study determined whether meeting physical activity or dietary guidelines during pregnancy was associated with improved sleep. Third trimester pregnant women (n = 49, 31.9 ± 4.1 years) completed physical activity and sleep questionnaires and then wore [...] Read more.
Sleep disturbances are common during pregnancy. This study determined whether meeting physical activity or dietary guidelines during pregnancy was associated with improved sleep. Third trimester pregnant women (n = 49, 31.9 ± 4.1 years) completed physical activity and sleep questionnaires and then wore a wrist actigraph 24 h/day and completed three 24 h dietary recalls across two weeks. Participants who reported meeting physical activity guidelines (>150 min moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]/week, n = 23) or dietary guidelines (≥1.1 g protein/kg body weight/day, n = 26 or ≥25 g fiber/day, n = 16) were compared to those who were physically inactive (<90 min/week) or did not meet dietary guidelines, respectively. Multivariate ANOVAs and Mann–Whitney U tests compared groups and correlations were conducted between physical activity, diet, and sleep variables. Physical activity groups did not differ in objective sleep measures (ps > 0.05); however, the active group reported better sleep quality (p = 0.049). Those who met protein guidelines exhibited longer sleep duration and less wake-after-sleep-onset (ps < 0.05). Across all participants, higher weekly MET mins/week of MVPA associated with better sleep quality (p = 0.02), and a diet higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates associated with longer sleep duration (ps < 0.05). Meeting physical activity and nutrition guidelines positively associates with improved sleep, with protein associated with objective measures and physical activity with subjective measures. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 523 KiB  
Article
Associations between Perinatal Sleepiness and Breastfeeding Intentions and Attitudes and Infant Feeding Behaviors and Beliefs
by Tayla von Ash, Anna Alikhani, Katherine M. Sharkey, Paola Solano, Melanie Morales Aquino and Patricia Markham Risica
Nutrients 2023, 15(15), 3435; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15153435 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1773
Abstract
Breastfeeding rates fall short of public health goals, but barriers are poorly understood. We examined whether excessive sleepiness during pregnancy and the postpartum period was associated with breastfeeding intentions, attitudes, initiation, and continuation in a tobacco-exposed sample participating in a randomized controlled trial [...] Read more.
Breastfeeding rates fall short of public health goals, but barriers are poorly understood. We examined whether excessive sleepiness during pregnancy and the postpartum period was associated with breastfeeding intentions, attitudes, initiation, and continuation in a tobacco-exposed sample participating in a randomized controlled trial to reduce smoke exposure (n = 399). We used the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to examine associations between excessive sleepiness in early (12–16 weeks gestation) and late (32 weeks gestation) pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum, with breastfeeding attitudes using the Mitra index, intentions, initiation, and continuation, as well as other infant feeding practices using the Infant Feeding Questionnaire. Logistic regression models adjusted for age, racial/ethnic identity, parity, marital status, and maternal education showed that excessive sleepiness in late pregnancy was associated with less favorable attitudes toward breastfeeding. In addition, in unadjusted models, excessive sleepiness at 6 months postpartum was associated with less of a tendency to use feeding to calm a fussy infant. Excessive sleepiness was not associated with intent, initiation, or continuation of breastfeeding. Assessing excessive sleepiness in late pregnancy may assist in identifying individuals with negative attitudes to breastfeeding and lead to novel approaches to promoting breastfeeding in populations with lower breastfeeding rates. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

40 pages, 851 KiB  
Review
A Systematic Review of Studies Examining Associations between Sleep Characteristics with Dietary Intake and Eating Behaviors during Pregnancy
by Tayla von Ash, Laura Sanapo, Margaret H. Bublitz, Ghada Bourjeily, Amy Salisbury, Sophia Petrillo and Patricia Markham Risica
Nutrients 2023, 15(9), 2166; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15092166 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3078
Abstract
Little is known about the association between sleep and diet in pregnancy, despite both behaviors impacting maternal and fetal health. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the available literature on associations between sleep characteristics and dietary intake and eating behaviors during [...] Read more.
Little is known about the association between sleep and diet in pregnancy, despite both behaviors impacting maternal and fetal health. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the available literature on associations between sleep characteristics and dietary intake and eating behaviors during pregnancy, reporting on both maternal and fetal outcomes. We followed the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and conducted our search on 27 May 2021 in the PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. The search yielded 6785 unique articles, of which 25 met our eligibility criteria. The studies, mostly observational, published 1993–2021, include data from 168,665 participants. Studies included examinations of associations between various maternal sleep measures with a diverse set of diet-related measures, including energy or nutrient intake (N = 12), dietary patterns (N = 9), and eating behaviors (N = 11). Associations of maternal exposures with fetal/infant outcomes were also examined (N = 5). We observed considerable heterogeneity across studies precluding our ability to perform a meta-analysis or form strong conclusions; however, several studies did report significant findings. Results from this systematic review demonstrate the need for consistency in methods across studies to better understand relationships between diet and sleep characteristics during pregnancy. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop