Session Schedule

Find a specific presentation in the session by navigating to the timestamp indicated below.

0:00:00
Introduction

0:02:43
The interaction of circadian rhythms, lifestyles, and behavior on maternal and offspring health
Ling-Wei Chen (Taiwan)

0:24:25
Sleep disorders and mental health in pregnancy and postpartum: An overlooked critical factor in women's health
Laura Palagini (Italy)

0:42:46
Smart wearables to unlock new opportunities in monitoring sleep and pregnancy health
Massimiliano de Zambotti (United States)

1:06:25
Integrating digital tools to improving perinatal sleep
Bei Bei (Australia)

Summary

This symposium will explore recent scientific evidences and technological advancements in understanding and improving maternal and infant health by focusing on circadian rhythms, sleep, and digital health tools. As sleep and circadian patterns play a critical role in pregnancy, we will examine how aligning maternal behaviors with these natural cycles may optimize health outcomes for both mothers and infants. The first presentation will examine how circadian rhythms interact with dietary and lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy to influence metabolic health outcomes for mothers and offspring. Focusing on the emerging field of chrono-nutrition, it will highlight how aligning meal timing, regularity, and dietary composition with natural circadian cycles can enhance maternal glycemic control, optimize offspring growth, and promote metabolic health across generations. The second talk will highlight the crucial role of sleep in mental health during the peripartum period, presenting recent findings that prenatal insomnia can serve as an early predictor of both immediate and long-term mental health challenges, including postpartum depression, anxiety, and suicidal risk. These findings underscore the importance of assessing and addressing sleep disturbances during this critical time to help mitigate adverse effects on peripartum psychopathology and reduce associated mental health risks for mothers. In the third talk, the symposium will focus on the use of smart wearables as a tool for large-scale monitoring of sleep, physical activity, and cardiovascular health from preconception through the postpartum period. Wearable technology provides a unique opportunity to track biobehavioral patterns over time, offering insight into changes in maternal health metrics and identifying potential risk periods that could benefit from early intervention. The final presentation will discuss digital tools that have been trialed in managing perinatal sleep problems, these include personally timed multimedia emails for information delivery, bright light therapy glasses and evening light hygiene for enhancing circadian rhythm, and the use of responsive bassinet, this talk will showcase practical digital solutions that have demonstrated improvements in sleep health via randomised controlled trials. A diverse panel of experts from academia and industry, representing countries such as the United States, Italy, Australia and Taiwan, will convene to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange essential to driving progress in sleep and pregnancy health. We would like to emphasize that by fostering open communication, joint research initiatives, and transparent practices, academia and industry can create impactful, sustainable solutions that enhance maternal care outcomes on a global scale. It is with this spirit that we proposed this symposium. Together, these presentations emphasize an integrated approach to maternal and neonatal health, illustrating how synchronizing behavior with circadian biology, prioritizing sleep health, and leveraging digital tools can foster well-being during pregnancy and beyond.