CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2019 - 11

RESEARCH

of the 18 participants were diagnosed with sleep apnea. "They were
very surprised by the diagnosis. Often unrecognized, obstructive
sleep apnea worsens over the course of a pregnancy and is associated
with poorer perinatal outcomes like gestational diabetes and bigger
babies," said Farabi.
According to Farabi, "In this study, the more severe the mother's
sleep apnea, the more likely she was to have higher blood sugar
throughout the day and night. The data indicate that improving
sleep habits, as well as screening for and potentially treating sleep
apnea may help improve maternal infant outcomes in this high-risk
population." Unlike other studies, the sleep patterns and glucose
were directly measured using personal monitoring devices instead
of relying on self-report, making the data much stronger in the story
they tell. In the near future, the College of Nursing biobehavioral
faculty are hoping to launch a Within-Persons Methods Core on
the Anschutz Medical Campus, where their focus will be to assist
investigators in using the kinds of personal monitors used by Dr.
Farabi, and apply their use to behavioral intervention approaches.

Sarah Farabi,
PhD, RN

Effects of Sleep
Apnea on Pregnant
Women and Babies
SLEEP PROBLEMS DURING PREGNANCY AFFECT
MOTHER'S GLUCOSE PATTERNS AND MAY BE PREDICTOR
OF INCREASED RISK FOR CHILDHOOD OBESITY.
By Dana A. Brandorff

A study conducted by Sarah Farabi, PhD, RN, while she was
a post-doctoral fellow working with Dr. Teri Hernandez at
the University of Colorado College of Nursing and School of
Medicine in 2018 found that mild sleep apnea changed sugar
levels during pregnancy and was connected to infant growth
patterns related to increased risk of obesity.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,
the study included 18 women who did not have gestational diabetes and a body mass index of 30-40 kg/m2 during their third
trimester - making them at higher risk for sleep apnea. Twelve

"We showed that mild undiagnosed
sleep apnea is related to higher glucose
patterns during pregnancy, even in
women who do not have gestational diabetes. By addressing sleep apnea with
overweight women during pregnancy,
we might be able to improve mother's
sugar levels and insulin resistance, as
well as the potential for fetal overgrowth and childhood obesity," said
Farabi. The combination of improved
sleep and nutrition patterns may improve maternal and fetal outcomes.
Study participants were monitored at
home with a WatchPAT wrist device
and finger probe for three consecutive nights. The WatchPAT detects
oxygen saturation levels and external
movement. During the three days, they
also had their diet provided by the
Colorado Clinical and Translational
Science Bionutrition Core, and wore a
monitor that measured glucose every
5 minutes. Two weeks after delivery,
a non-invasive test called a PEAPOD
measured the baby's body composition
via air displacement.
Currently, Farabi is an assistant professor at Goldfarb School of Nursing.

Spring/Summer 2019

CU Nursing - Spring/Summer 2019

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