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Predictors of sleep disturbances in the first year of life: a longitudinal study
Stefania Sette1, Emma Baumgartner1, Raffaele Ferri2
1Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Insights
Early identification of infant sleep problems is key. Sleep duration, initiation method, and nocturnal awakenings at 3-6 months predict sleep issues at 12 months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Infant sleep patterns significantly impact development and caregiver well-being.
- Identifying early predictors of sleep disturbances is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify early predictors of nocturnal awakenings and short sleep duration in infants.
- To analyze the trends of sleep parameters from 3 to 12 months of age.
Main Methods:
- Parental interviews with 704 infants (49.3% female) during the first year of life.
- Data collected on infant sleep habits, duration, nocturnal awakenings, and maternal perception of sleep difficulties.
Main Results:
- Infants with ≥3 nocturnal awakenings or ≤10 hours of sleep at 3-6 months often exhibited similar problems at 12 months.
- Early predictors included sleep duration, sleep initiation method, and nocturnal awakenings.
- Independent sleep initiation at 3 months, shifting to non-independent by 6 months, was associated with later sleep problems.
Conclusions:
- Early identification of sleep problems in infants is possible through monitoring specific sleep parameters.
- Caregivers should be aware of early symptoms to prevent potential long-term sleep difficulties.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to identify early predictors of nocturnal awakenings and short sleep duration during the first year of life, in terms of sleep habits and patterns. We also analyzed the trend of nocturnal awakenings and total sleep duration from 3 to 12 months of age.
Methods:
The parents of 704 infants (49.3% female) were interviewed during their first year of life. The interview included questions on infant sleep (eg, sleep habits, sleep duration, number of nocturnal awakenings) and maternal perception of infant sleep difficulties.
Results:
The study results indicate that most of the infants at risk, with three or more nocturnal awakenings or ≤10 h of total sleep duration in the early months of life, tend to display a similar pattern of sleep problems at 12 months. The main early predictors of sleep problems at 12 months were sleep duration, sleep initiation method, and nocturnal awakenings. More specifically, infants with three or more nocturnal awakenings or ≤10 h of total sleep duration at 12 months were those with a higher number of awakenings during the night and a shorter sleep duration, at both three and six months. In addition, infants at risk for sleep problems at 12 months had an independent sleep initiation method at three months, whereas these same infants had a nonindependent sleep initiation method at six months.
Conclusions:
Our study identified the early predictors of sleep problems at 12 months. Caregivers should identify these early symptoms in infants to prevent possible sleep difficulties in later years.
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