WEDNESDAY, Nov. 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Many 6- and 12-month-old infants do not sleep through the night, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in Pediatrics.
Marie-Helene Pennestri, Ph.D., from McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues investigated the proportion of infants who sleep through the night (six- or eight-hour sleep blocks) at ages 6 and 12 months, as well as associations between sleeping through the night, mental and psychomotor development, maternal mood, and breastfeeding. Maternal reports of sleep were taken at 6 and 12 months, while mental and psychomotor development and maternal mood were assessed at 6, 12, and 36 months.
The researchers found that 27.9 to 57.0 percent of 6- and 12-month-old infants did not sleep through the night (defined as either six or eight hours of uninterrupted sleep). There were no significant associations between sleeping through the night and concurrent or later mental development, psychomotor development, or maternal mood (P > 0.05). There was an association between sleeping through the night and a lower rate of breastfeeding (P < 0.0001).
"Considering that high proportions of infants did not sleep through the night and that no associations were found between uninterrupted sleep, mental or psychomotor development, and maternal mood, expectations for early sleep consolidation could be moderated," the authors write.
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