| Maternal sleep disorders during pregnancy and
subsequent risk of allergic diseases in Japanese children:
the TMM BirThree Cohort Study |
Ami Uematsu1 
, Masatsugu Orui1,2,3
, Mami Ishikuro1,2
, Keiko Murakami2,4
, Aoi Noda1,2,5
, Genki Shinoda2
, Taku Obara1,2,5
, Shinichi Kuriyama1,2,3
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1Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
2Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
3International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
4Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
5Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan |
Correspondence:
Masatsugu Orui, Email: masatsugu.orui.e5@tohoku.ac.jp
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Received: 27 May 2025 • Revised: 28 July 2025 • Accepted: 11 August 2025 |
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| Abstract |
Background
Associations have been suggested between
prenatal exposure and allergic diseases in children as
well as between respiratory allergies and maternal sleep
disorders during pregnancy.
Purpose
This study aimed to examine the association
between maternal sleep disorders during pregnancy and
allergic diseases, including respiratory, skin, and ocular
allergies, in their children.
Methods
This study was based on the Tohoku Medical
Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort
Study. Sleep disorders during pregnancy were defined as
an Athens Insomnia Scale score of ≥6. Allergic diseases
in
children up to 5 years of age were assessed by maternal
selfreport
on “bronchial asthma,” “atopic dermatitis,”
“food
allergy,” and “allergic conjunctivitis/allergic rhinitis/hay
fever.” Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals
(CIs) were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards
model.
Results
A total of 11,123 mother-child pairs were included.
The mean gestational age at registration was 19.6±7.6
weeks. During pregnancy, 4,115 women (37.0%) experienced
sleep disorders. Additionally, 53.7% of the participants
had a history of parity, 8.8% worked night shifts, and 0.4%
used sleep medications. In the crude models, maternal
sleep disorders during pregnancy were associated with
all examined allergic diseases in children. After the
adjustment for all confounders, the associations remained
significant for atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis/
allergic rhinitis/hay fever (HR [95% CI], 1.09 [0.97–1.23] for
bronchial asthma, 1.17 [1.05–1.31] for atopic dermatitis, 1.11
[0.98–1.26] for food allergy, and 1.25 [1.13–1.39] for allergic
conjunctivitis/allergic rhinitis/hay fever).
Conclusion
Maternal sleep disorders during pregnancy
were associated with atopic dermatitis as well as allergic
conjunctivitis/allergic rhinitis/hay fever in children. |
| Key Words:
Allergy, Child, Sleep, Pregnancy, Japan |
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