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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809992
Substance Use, Poor Sleep, and Gestational Diabetes: Concerns in Adolescent Pregnancy
Authors
Funding Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico.
Abstract
Adolescence is a stage of development in which several social and biological parameters change drastically. Behavioral alterations are common during puberty, including the appearance of risk-taking behaviors such as substance use and unprotected sex, which can lead to unintended pregnancy. Of note, in addition to the inherent risks of pregnancy at a young age, sleep impairment and substance use are commonly seen in adolescents, even during pregnancy. The increased risk for the development of gestational diabetes, which has been linked to both sleep impairment and drug use, further complicates this scenario and deserves consideration among the scientific community and in the clinical setting. Therefore, in this commentary, we discuss the pathways connecting the risk of substance misuse, sleep impairment, and the development of gestational diabetes, a network that demonstrates the vulnerability of the pregnant teenage population. Future studies evaluating the complicating factors and modulators of pregnancy outcomes in these individuals are of the utmost importance.
Publication History
Received: 23 August 2024
Accepted: 20 March 2025
Article published online:
31 December 2025
© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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