Here is more support for sleep disruption as a dramatic stressor in reproduction. We have noticed that physiologic stress patients that we term “hypothalamic dysfunction” seem to have a much greater chance of miscarriage as well as no pregnancy or infertility. This study makes the basic connection and is in no way proof of causation but is another supporting piece of evidence for this story. I think all of us know how bad we feel when we’ve been up all night or most and then try to function the next day. Your heart rate is elevated and you feel very stressed. Nature doesn’t want pregnancy under these conditions. I know it is hard to change one’s work so dramatically as to find a different job, but these ideas might make this an important step in a healthy pregnancy just as changing diet and decreasing exercise would. Many healthcare workers, nurses, shift workers, etc… are faced with such schedules. Food for thought.
Michael D. Fox, MD
Jacksonville Center
Reproductive Medicine
Advanced Reproductive Specialists