Infants who have a good sleep pattern are less likely to be overweight during the first months of life.
- Newborns who get enough sleep and few nocturnal awakenings are less likely to be overweight.
- An extra hour of sleep would be associated with a 26% lower risk of being overweight.
Infants sleep several times a day, for a total of up to fourteen hours… Their rhythm is therefore very different from that of adults…. What parents need to analyze and understand so as not to disturb their babies because sleep has significant consequences on the health of the youngest. Indeed, according to a study published in the journal sleepingthose who do not sleep well would be more likely to be overweight during the first months of their life.
Not enough sleep and nocturnal awakenings: beware of overweight
“The association between insufficient amount of sleep and weight gain is already proven in adults and older children, but this was not the case in infantsExplain Susan Redline, study co-author, MD. In this study, we observed that shorter sleep duration, but also more frequent nocturnal awakenings, were associated with a higher likelihood of infants being overweight in the first six months of life.“.
298 babies followed from 2016 to 2018
To reach this conclusion, the researchers followed 298 babies born in a hospital in Massachusetts, United States, between 2016 and 2018. They analyzed their sleep patterns with watches – attached to the ankles of newborns – which measure activity and rest times over several days. More specifically, they worked on the data of three of their nights, recorded at one and then six months. At the same time, the parents filled out a sleep diary for their infant, with the phases of sleep and wakefulness. Of course, height and weight information was also taken into account to determine whether the babies were overweight.
1 hour more sleep, 26% less risk of being overweight
Armed with this data, the researchers found that just one hour of extra sleep was associated with a 26% lower risk of being overweight in these infants. Another result: babies who wake up less during the night also have a lower risk of being overweight… But scientists are unable to explain this phenomenon. On the other hand, they themselves point out the shortcomings of their work: the under-representation of families of low socio-economic status and the failure to take into account the duration of breastfeeding, which can have a significant impact on growth. of the infant. The authors now want to continue their research to assess the impact of sleep habits on the growth of children during their first two years of life.
“This study highlights the importance of healthy sleep at all agesconcludes Susan Redline. Parents should seek advice from their pediatricians on best practices for their baby to have a healthy sleep pattern, such as regular sleep schedules, a dark and quiet room to sleep in, etc.“.
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