Pregnant women should dim the lights in the house and turn off or at least dim the screens of devices, computers and smartphones, a few hours before bedtime to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. This is the suggestion that comes from a study by Northwestern Medicine, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine.
Diabetes in pregnancy: the study
“Our study suggests that light exposure before bedtime may be an under-recognized but easily modifiable risk factor for gestational diabetes,” said lead author Dr Minjee Kim. Mounting evidence suggests that exposure to light in the evening before bed may be linked to impaired glucose regulation in non-pregnant people. However, little is known about the effect of evening exposure to light during pregnancy and the risk of developing gestational diabetes, a common complication with significant implications for the health of both mother and baby.
The study of 741 women in their second trimester of pregnancy was conducted at eight US centers between 2011 and 2013. The participants’ light exposure was measured with an actigraph worn on their wrists. After taking into account other factors such as age, body mass index, working hours, season, sleep duration and sleep regularity index, light exposure before sleep was significantly associated with gestational diabetes. Weight loss and exercise also reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes, experts remind, but it should be borne in mind that they require a certain level of effort. Dimming the lights, on the other hand, is a simple change to make to get started.