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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.