Article appeared on doctor.ndtv.com.
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have children with sleep problems from birth all the way through age 12 years.
Past studies have linked substance abuse during pregnancy to physical and behavioural problems in children. To examine the association between sleep problems and prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol, opiates, marijuana and nicotine in children aged 1 month to 12 years, researchers followed 808 American children. Out of all, 374 were exposed to cocaine and/or opiates before birth, while 434 were not.
Children's mothers or other caregivers reported on whether a child had difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep during three periods: one month to four years of age; five to eight years, and nine to 12 years.
It was found that exposure to cocaine, marijuana, or alcohol in the womb had no effect on a child's risk of having sleep problems, but nicotine did, and problems were seen at each of the three time points. Nicotine exposure in the mother's womb was found to be the only unique predictor of sleep problems in the children and the link remained the same even after taking into accounts other factors such as socioeconomic status, marital status, physical abuse, prenatal medical care, and postnatal cigarette smoke exposure.
The above findings show that prenatal exposure to cigarette smoking or nicotine could lead to sleep problems in children.
