The impact of myo-inositol supplementation on sleep quality in pregnant women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Abstract

Background Myo-inositol, a glial marker which plays a critical role in some brain regions, can supposedly affect sleep processes. The purpose of randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the impact of myo-inositol supplementation on sleep quality of pregnant women. Methods The study enrolled 60 women with low risk singleton pregnancies, with a gestational age of at least 14 weeks, in Iran. The participants were block randomized to receive myo-inositol supplementation powder containing 2000 mg of myo-inositol and 200 μg of folic acid or placebo (400 μg of folic acid) for 10 weeks from the gestational age of 14–24. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The primary outcome was the change in sleep quality from the first trimester to the second trimester (24–28 weeks). The ANCOVA with adjusted covariate variables in the first trimester was conducted to estimate the sleep quality between the two groups. Results The results of ANCOVA boot strapped showed that the mean difference of the total sleep quality score between the two groups was −1.537; 95% CI: −3.050 to −0.024, p = .047) in the second trimester at immediately post-intervention. Also, there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of subjective sleep quality (MD: −0.427; 95% CI: −0.725 to −0.128, p = .006, sleep duration (MD: −0.670; 95% CI: −1.240 to −0.101; p = .022) and habitual sleep efficiency (MD: −0.561; 95% CI: −1.038 to −0.085, p = .022). Conclusion The research confirmed that myo-inositol supplementation can improve global sleep quality, subjective sleep quality, and sleep duration during pregnancy. Therefore, these findings applied to minimize the rate of poor sleep quality in pregnant women.