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[Amount of sleep and changes in its patterns in children less than two years old]

M Fernández Miaja1, C Rodríguez Fernández1, M L Fernández Pérez1

  • 1Servicio de Pediatría. Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León (CAULE), León, España.

Anales De Pediatria (Barcelona, Spain : 2003)
|April 17, 2014
PubMed

Insights

As children age, their sleep patterns shift from daytime to nighttime sleep. Around 15% of infants under two may experience abnormal sleep durations, particularly those younger than six months.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Development Research
  • Public Health Studies

Background:

  • Understanding typical sleep duration and patterns in infants is crucial for healthy development.
  • Variations in sleep can impact a child's overall well-being and growth.
  • Existing data on sleep patterns in Spanish children under two requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze sleep duration and 24-hour sleep distribution in Spanish children under two.
  • To determine the prevalence of abnormal sleep duration and its correlation with age.
  • To compare findings with existing published sleep data.

Main Methods:

  • An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Castilla y León and Asturias, Spain.
  • Parents completed the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) for their children.
  • Sleep duration was assessed, with analyses stratified by age (under/over 6 months) and region.

Main Results:

  • Nighttime sleep increased and daytime sleep decreased significantly with age (P=.0001).
  • Children in Castilla y León had longer daytime sleep durations than those in Asturias (P=.041).
  • A significant proportion of children under 6 months exhibited sleep durations below normal percentiles (P=.006).

Conclusions:

  • Infants progressively substitute daytime sleep for nighttime sleep as they mature.
  • Approximately 15% of children under two may present with altered sleep durations.
  • Abnormal sleep duration is more prevalent in infants under six months of age.
Abstract

Keywords:
Brief Infant Sleep QuestionnaireDaytime sleepDuración del sueñoNighttime sleepPercentiles de duración del sueñoSleep durationSleep duration percentilesSueño diurnoSueño nocturno

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