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Sleeping through the night or through the nights?
Marie-Hélène Pennestri1, Rebecca Burdayron1, Samantha Kenny1
1Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière-des-Prairies (CIUSSS-NIM), Montreal, QC, Canada.
Sleep Medicine
|November 1, 2020
Summary
Most 6-month-old infants show significant night-to-night variability in achieving consolidated sleep. Occasional long sleep stretches do not always mean consistent sleep patterns for infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Infant sleep duration exhibits considerable inter-individual variation.
- Intra-individual differences in infant sleep patterns are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine night-to-night variability in achieving 6 or 8 hours of consolidated sleep.
- To describe sleep consolidation patterns in 6-month-old infants over a 13-night period.
Main Methods:
- A 13-night infant sleep diary was completed by mothers of 44 typically developing infants.
- Sleep diaries measured the longest period of uninterrupted sleep each night.
- Two criteria (6 and 8 hours) defined 'sleeping through the night'.
Main Results:
- Infants averaged approximately 5 nights of 6-hour consolidated sleep out of 13.
- Most infants (72.7%) displayed high night-to-night variability in achieving 6-hour sleep.
- Half of infants never achieved 8-hour consolidated sleep, with significant variability observed.
Conclusions:
- High intra-individual variability in infant sleep consolidation is evident, alongside inter-individual differences.
- Parents and clinicians should recognize that occasional consolidated sleep does not confirm established patterns.
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