Pregnant roaches need more sleep, too

Science outlets including MSN and the podcast "This Week in Science" highlighted research by students at the University of Cincinnati that examined the role sleep plays in insects.

UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Joshua Benoit and his students studied Pacific beetle-mimic cockroaches, an insect unusual because it gives birth to live young. While the young develop in the mother's brood sac, she sustains them with a protein-rich milk.

UC biologists discovered that roach moms deprived of sleep produced less milk. And the babies required a longer gestation, demonstrating the importance sleep plays even for insects.

Researchers induced sleep deprivation in the insects by gently shaking their habitat at prescribed times.

“I guess that's like having a kicking baby,“ co-host Blair Bazdarich said. “That's pretty accurate. I think I slept worse in the last few weeks before giving birth than with a newborn, so relatable. Hashtag: relatable cockroaches.

“I think this is something that could be a really interesting field of research to expound upon in the future,“ she said.

Listen to This Week in Science.

Featured image at top: UC students discovered that Pacific beetle-mimic cockroaches need more sleep when they're pregnant. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand