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Sleep characteristics and changes in sleep patterns among infants in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Ram K Chandyo1, Suman Ranjitkar2, Jaya S Silpakar2

  • 1Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Sleep Health
|March 22, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Cosleeping is common in Nepalese infants, with many experiencing frequent night awakenings. Sleep patterns at 6 and 12 months showed stability, with few reported sleep problems.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Global Health

Background:

  • Infant sleep patterns undergo significant changes in the first year of life.
  • Limited data exists on sleep characteristics in low and middle-income countries.
  • Understanding infant sleep is crucial for development and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe sleep characteristics in Nepalese infants at 6 and 12 months of age.
  • To analyze changes and stability in infant sleep patterns.
  • To investigate the prevalence of cosleeping and reported sleep problems.

Main Methods:

  • Community-based longitudinal study of 735 infants in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
  • Sleep data collected via maternal interviews using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaires.
  • Logistic regression used to assess stability of sleep duration and night awakenings.

Main Results:

  • Cosleeping was nearly universal (>97%) at 6 and 12 months.
  • A significant proportion of infants (35% at 6 months, 46% at 12 months) had <12 hours of total sleep.
  • Frequent night awakenings (>3 times) were common (65%) at both ages, with stability observed over time.
  • Infants with frequent awakenings at 6 months had higher odds of similar patterns at 12 months (OR=2.2).
  • Mothers reported very few sleep problems (<3%).

Conclusions:

  • Cosleeping is a near-universal practice among Nepalese infants.
  • Infant sleep duration and nocturnal awakenings show stability between 6 and 12 months.
  • Despite frequent awakenings, maternal reporting of infant sleep problems is low.
Abstract

Keywords:
BISQInfantNepal sleepTrajectories

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