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Sleep pattern regularity and measures of infant weight and length during the first 6 months

Shao-Yu Tsai1, Yi-Ching Tung2, Wei-Wen Wu1

  • 1School of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing
|January 8, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Infant sleep regularity impacts weight and length. Both weekend catch-up sleep and sleep curtailment are linked to higher measures of infant weight and length, highlighting the importance of consistent sleep patterns.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Sleep Science
  • NutritionalAnthropometry

Background:

  • Infant sleep patterns are crucial for healthy development.
  • Understanding the impact of sleep regularity on infant growth is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep pattern regularity and anthropometric measures in infants.
  • To determine if variations in weekday-weekend sleep schedules affect infant weight and length.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study of 316 healthy infants in Taiwan.
  • Actigraphy used to monitor sleep patterns for one week.
  • Infants categorized into regular sleep, weekend catch-up, or weekend curtailment groups.
  • General linear models analyzed the relationship between sleep groups and anthropometry.

Main Results:

  • 19.6% of infants were at risk of overweight, overweight, or obese.
  • Infants with weekend catch-up sleep (30.4%) and sleep curtailment (34.5%) showed significantly higher weight-to-length ratios, BMI, and weight-for-age z-scores compared to those with regular sleep (35.1%).
  • These associations remained significant after adjustments.

Conclusions:

  • Significant weekday-weekend sleep differences emerge within the first six months of life.
  • Both weekend catch-up sleep and sleep curtailment are associated with increased infant weight and length measures.
  • Pediatricians should assess sleep regularity, not just average duration, during well-child checkups.
Abstract

Keywords:
ActigraphyInfantPediatricsPhysical growthSleepWeight

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