Infant Sleep Health

Sleep

• Newborns sleep 16 to 18 hours a day.
• Infants 0 to 2 years of age sleep an average of 12.8 hours a day, within a range of 9.7 to 15.9 hours.
  • But only short bursts at a time
• Surveys indicate 20 to 30 percent of infants have difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep at night.
• Sleep deprivation in early parenting is a major stressor

Infant Sleeping Arrangements

• Parent–infant co-sleeping is the norm in many of the world’s population.
• Cultural emphasis on independent vs. interdependent self strongly influences infant sleeping arrangements.
• Co-sleeping is increasing in Western nations, perhaps because of a rise in breastfeeding.
• American Academy of Pediatrics discourages shared sleeping because of the risk of SIDS. Recommend baby in room until 6 mo. Of age

SIDS

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): a condition that occurs when infants stop breathing, usually during the night, and die suddenly without an apparent cause.
• Each year, there are about 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths in the United States.
• Highest risk is at 2 to 4 months of age.
• Infants should sleep on their backs rather than on their stomachs.
• Less common in bedrooms with a fan, for infants who breastfeed, and for infants who use a pacifier.
• Babies might have a higher risk of SIDS if:
  • their mother smoked, drank, or used drugs during pregnancy and after birth
  • their mother had poor prenatal care
  • they were born prematurely or at a low birth weight
  • there's a family history of SIDS
  • their mothers were younger than 20 when they gave birth they are around tobacco smoke after birth
  • babies get overheated

REM Sleep

• In REM sleep, the eyes flutter beneath closed lids.
• In non-REM sleep, this type of eye movement does not occur and sleep is quieter.
• Infants spend more time in REM sleep than at any other point of the life span.
• Researchers are not certain why this is the case; it may provide added self-stimulation, and it may promote the brain’s development.

Sleep and Cognitive Development

• Infants who sleep mostly at night appear to have higher levels of executive function at age 4.
• Poor quality of infant sleep has been shown to have negative effects for the child.
• Lower attention regulation and more behavior problems at 3 to 4 years of age.
• Greater distractibility.
• Link between infant sleep and children’s cognitive functioning likely occurs because of sleep’s role in brain maturation and memory consolidation.