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Yawning frequency and distribution in preterm and near term infants assessed throughout 24-h recordings

Fiorenza Giganti1, Marie J Hayes, Giovanni Cioni

  • 1Sleep Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Italy. fiorenza.giganti@unifi.it

Infant Behavior & Development
|April 10, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Yawning frequency in preterm infants decreases with age, particularly during daytime. This reduction may reflect developing sleep-wake regulatory systems in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Physiology
  • Developmental Neuroscience

Background:

  • Yawning is observed in fetuses and preterm infants.
  • Understanding yawning patterns in preterm infants is crucial for assessing development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency and 24-hour distribution of yawning in preterm infants.
  • To investigate the relationship between yawning and sleep-wake states in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Continuous 24-hour video recording of 12 low-risk preterm infants (31-40 weeks post-conceptional age).
  • Definition of spontaneous yawning as a full mouth opening with a stretching movement.
  • Analysis of yawning incidence across different motility patterns (waking, active sleep, quiet sleep).

Main Results:

  • The overall yawning rate was 1.10 yawns per hour.
  • Yawning occurred most frequently during waking motility patterns.
  • Yawn incidence significantly decreased with increasing post-conceptional age, especially during the day.

Conclusions:

  • Yawning frequency in preterm infants declines with age, particularly during daytime hours.
  • This decrease may be associated with the maturation of circadian and homeostatic sleep-wake control mechanisms.

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