Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
Published on: August 2, 2017
Influence of swaddling experience on spontaneous arousal patterns and autonomic control in sleeping infants
Heidi L Richardson1, Adrian M Walker, Rosemary S C Horne
1Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of swaddling experience on infant sleep, spontaneous arousal patterns and autonomic control.
Study Design:
Twenty-seven healthy term infants, who were routinely swaddled at home (n=15) or "naïve" to swaddling (n=12), were monitored with daytime polysomnography in swaddled and unswaddled conditions at 3 to 4 weeks and at 3 months after birth.
Results:
Swaddling did not alter sleep time, spontaneous arousability, or heart rate variability in routinely swaddled infants at either age. During active sleep at 3 months, cortical arousal frequency was decreased, and total sleep time was increased by swaddling in infants who were naïve to swaddling. Heart rate variability when swaddled was also highest in the naïve group.
Conclusions:
The effects of infant swaddling on sleep time, arousability, and autonomic control are influenced by previous swaddling experience. Infants in the naïve to swaddling group exhibited decreased spontaneous cortical arousal, similar to responses observed in future victims of sudden infant death syndrome. Infants in unfamiliar sleeping conditions may therefore be more susceptible to cardiorespiratory challenges that fail to stimulate arousal and may lead to sudden infant death syndrome.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
Attachment
Stages of Sleep
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...

