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By Lisa Rapaport
(Reuters Health) – A Canadian study suggests that infants who do not sleep at night do not appear to be at higher risk for cognitive or motor development problems.
Deciding when and where to train babies to sleep all night is one of the most difficult issues that new parents face. Some previous research suggested that lack of sleep could lead to a range of developmental problems in babies. However, it is less known if the development of babies is influenced by the number of hours of sleep for a long, uninterrupted period during the night.
For the present study, researchers examined data from 388 mother-baby pairs, interviewing women about their own moods and sleep patterns of their babies and evaluating motor and cognitive development of infants at the age of 6. , 12 and 36 months.
"We found that a high percentage of children aged 6 and 12 months were not sleeping at night and that it was not associated with infant development or mood of the baby." mother, "said study leader Marie-Helene Pennestri of McGill University in Montreal. the mental health hospital of Rivière-des-Prairies.
"Therefore, parents should not worry if their baby does not sleep all night at the age of 6 months," Pennestri said by e-mail.
The babies in the study were classified as sleeping all night when they had at least six hours of uninterrupted rest.
At the age of 6 months, about 62% of mothers reported that their baby was sleeping at least six hours a night. Girls were more likely to do this than boys; 70% of girls slept all night, compared with 56% of boys.
At that age, only 43% of mothers reported that their baby slept for at least eight hours a night. While girls were slightly more likely than boys to do so, the difference was minimal and could be due to chance.
The study also revealed that breastfeeding was associated with a reduced likelihood of sleeping at night. About 55% of babies who slept six hours per night at 6 months were breastfed, while 81% of infants who did not sleep for six hours were breastfed.
And about 49% of babies who slept eight hours a night at this age were breastfed, compared to 77% of infants who did not sleep that long.
Pediatricians recommend that mothers breastfeed exclusively infants up to the age of six months at least, as this can strengthen the immune system of infants and reduce the risk of ear infections and respiratory tract, sudden infant death syndrome, allergy, obesity and diabetes.
At the age of 12 months, 72% of babies slept at least six hours and 57% at least eight hours per night. Again, less sleep at night was associated with a higher probability of continuing breastfeeding at that age.
Although the benefits of breastfeeding are well established, ignoring a night diet instead of encouraging more sleep in babies and mothers may not be harmful, conclude the authors of the study. Pediatrics.
The study was not designed to prove whether or how uninterrupted sleep could directly affect breastfeeding habits, child development or mood. the mother. The researchers also interviewed the mothers about infant sleep instead of directly monitoring their sleep.
Sleep, though important, is not the only thing that influences the development of the child, said Jodi Mindell, associate director of the Sleep Center of Philadelphia Children's Hospital. and professor at Saint Joseph University.
"There are so many elements that affect the long-term development, such as genetics, nutrition, and parent-child interactions," said Mindell, co-author of a commentary on the topic. study, by e-mail.
Some parents may still want to teach babies how to sleep all night as it may help the whole family rest more regularly, Mindell said.
"The sleep training should not get a baby to become smarter years later, nor is it the goal," Mindell said. "Studies show very regularly that sleep training leads to happier and less stressed families."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2K3YhXb and https://bit.ly/2qJSbSV Pediatrics, online November 12, 2018.
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