Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates
Published on: December 31, 2015
Cycled light exposure reduces fussing and crying in very preterm infants
Caroline Guyer1, Reto Huber, Jehudith Fontijn
1Child Development Center, Department of Pediatrics, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Cycled lighting (CL) in neonatal care significantly reduced crying and fussing in preterm infants. This lighting strategy also showed a trend towards improved infant growth and daytime activity.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Sleep science
Background:
- Preterm infants experience altered sensory environments in neonatal intensive care units.
- Disruptions in sleep-wake cycles and increased crying are common in preterm infants.
- Optimizing the neonatal environment is crucial for infant development and well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of cycled lighting (CL) versus dim lighting (DL) on preterm infant behavior.
- To assess if CL reduces crying and fussing in very preterm infants (<32 weeks' gestational age).
- To evaluate the effects of CL on sleep consolidation and activity patterns at 5 and 11 weeks' corrected age.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial involving 37 preterm infants assigned to CL or DL conditions.
- Behavioral data (sleeping, crying, activity) collected via parental diaries and actigraphy.
- Assessment at 5 and 11 weeks' postterm corrected age.
Main Results:
- CL significantly reduced crying and fussing duration compared to DL.
- A trend towards increased daytime motor activity was observed in the CL group.
- No significant differences in sleep behavior were found; however, a trend towards improved weight gain was noted in the CL group.
Conclusions:
- Cycled lighting in neonatal care positively impacts infant fussing, crying, and growth.
- CL conditions appear beneficial for preterm infants during the early weeks of life.
- The findings support the integration of cycled lighting into clinical neonatal practice.
Objective:
To examine whether cycled lighting (CL) conditions during neonatal care in very preterm infants (<32 weeks' gestational age [GA]) decrease crying and fussing behavior, improve the consolidation of sleep, and influence activity behavior at 5 and 11 weeks' postterm corrected age (CA) compared with preterm infants cared for in dim lighting (DL) conditions.
Methods:
Thirty-seven preterm infants were randomly assigned to CL (7 am-7 pm lights on, 7 pm-7 am lights off [n = 17; mean GA: 30.6 ± 0.95 weeks; 9 girls]) or DL (lights off whenever the child is asleep [n = 20; GA: 29.5 ± 2.1 weeks; 8 girls]) conditions. Sleeping, crying, and activity behavior was recorded by using parental diaries and actigraphy at 5 and 11 weeks' CA.
Results:
A significant reduction of fussing (59.4 minutes/24 hours [± 25.8 minutes]) and crying (31.2 minutes/24 hours [± 14.4 minutes]) behavior and a trend to higher motor activity during daytime was found in CL-exposed infants at 5 and 11 weeks' CA compared with infants cared for in DL conditions. No significant difference between groups was observed for sleep behavior at 5 and 11 weeks' CA. Infants in CL conditions showed a trend to improved daily weight gain (average: 3.6 g/d) during neonatal care compared with DL conditions.
Conclusions:
CL conditions in neonatal care have beneficial effects on infant's fussing and crying behavior and growth in the first weeks of life. This study supports the introduction of CL care in clinical neonatal practice.
