Women with erratic sleep schedules take longer to get pregnant

Trying to conceive? Stick to your bedtime! Women with erratic sleep schedules take longer to get pregnant

• The study by Washington University in St Louis is being presented at a conference in Denver
• It is the first to show a link between sleep patterns and female fertility, partly because it is so hard to measure
• Using activity trackers, they found women conceived quickest if they went to bed at the same time, give or take an hour, every night

Women hoping to start a family will conceive sooner if they stick to a regular bedtime, new research suggests.  

The study is the first to show a link between sleep patterns and female fertility, partly because it is so hard to measure.

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis developed smart watches that would track their rest, while giving scientists access to the raw data. 

The results, from 176 participants, showed a clear correlation between sleep patterns and the time it took to conceive. 

The study by Washington University in St Louis, presented at a conference in Denver, is the first to show a link between sleep patterns and female fertility, partly because it is so hard to measure

Lead author Dr Emily Jungheim said that, although previous studies showed nurses with erratic schedules had higher risks of preterm birth, she was stunned by how strong the connection was.

‘We don’t think about sleep as being that important,’ Dr Jungheim, an OBGYN, told DailyMail.com. 

Couples trying to conceive, she explains, are ‘willing to try anything’ – but sleep rarely factors into their get-fit-for-fertility plans.

‘They eliminate alcohol and caffeine and fix their diet, but we found the only thing that anyone is willing to scrimp on – both men and women – is sleep. They don’t even think about it.’

That is starting to change. 

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Last year, the Nobel Prize was awarded to three biologists who shed light on the circadian rhythm (our internal body clock). 

They showed humans, animals and even plants adapt to the night-day schedule of wherever they are on the earth, and sticking to that rhythm is key to avoid adverse health issues. 

We know night shifts and poor sleep are linked to increased risks of breast cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more.  

But as sleep science has ascended, our sleeping patterns have derailed. 

There is increased demand for services round the clock, and people to man those services – or at least answer the calls.  

‘People don’t work nine to five anymore. They might have three different jobs,’ Dr Jungheim says.   

‘But we are learning more and more that the timing of sleep actually matters.

‘We have these circadian genes. Erratic sleep patterns increase your risk of diabetes and menses, and that affects ovulation.’ 

This hypothesis was given more weight by the new study, which is being presented this week at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Denver. 

Seventy-five of the 176 women in the study were pregnant by the end of the year, most of them white, with a higher income and a lower BMI. 

But after adjusting for all other factors, the researchers found sleep to be a deciding factor.

Women trying to conceive who went to bed around the same time every night – give or take an hour either way – took the least time to do so.

Those whose bedtime changed wildly day to day – sometimes 11pm, sometimes 1am – took the longest.

Dr Jungheim concedes that these findings will hardly inspire a global bedtime reset, but it could be factored into advice for women who want to start a family. 

‘I think for a reproductive age woman who’s trying to conceive, they will’ if they’re told about it. 

‘These patients will do whatever they think might help.’

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