Even cockroaches need a good night’s sleep to stay healthy, especially during pregnancy.
We’re talking specifically about Diploptera punctata, an odd little species of roach that is similar to humans and other mammals in the way it produces offspring.
For one, it produces nutrient-rich milk for its nymphs.
The species also gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs like other cockroaches.
British and American researchers examined this intriguing pest and reported in a recent study that the cockroach’s pregnancies are thrown out of whack by something many human mothers experience — lack of sleep.
The pregnancies of these bugs last significantly longer, and their bodies struggle to produce the tasty nutrients that keep their offspring healthy. In fact, milk production is cut in half in these sleepy critters.
This is certainly alarming, at least to the cockroaches, since they are well-fed in the lab.
Sleep loss also lengthens their two-month gestation period by 25 days.
Examining pregnancy under tightly controlled laboratory conditions can’t be done for humans. So, the roach offers a potential new way to get insight into mammalian pregnancy. And yes, humans are mammals.
The offers an important reminder that sleep is essential for good health, especially during pregnancy. Chronic sleep loss can lead to cardiovascular complications, among other ills, whether you’re pregnant or not.
In pregnancy, it can also cause miscarriage and, unlike the roach, premature birth.
Science leads to discoveries in some unusual places that can later have profound impacts on humans.
Now, sleep on that.
