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Association of Nighttime Sleep Duration at 1.5 Years With Height at 3 Years: The Japan Environment and Children's
Masanobu Kawai1,2, Sachiko Baba3, Kanami Tanigawa3
1Department of Molecular Genetics and Endocrinology, Research Institute, Osaka Women's and Children's Hospital, Izumi, Osaka 594-1101, Japan.
Insights
Adequate nighttime sleep is crucial for childhood linear growth. Longer nighttime sleep duration in toddlers is associated with increased height at age three, highlighting its importance for development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Growth and Development
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Nighttime sleep duration is thought to influence children's linear growth.
- Existing evidence on sleep duration and linear growth is limited and conflicting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between sleep duration at 1.5 years and height at 3 years of age.
- To differentiate the impact of nighttime versus total sleep duration on linear growth.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 52,140 term singleton births in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.
- Sleep durations were self-reported by caregivers via questionnaire.
- Tall stature was defined as height at or above the 75th percentile.
Main Results:
- Increased nighttime sleep duration at 1.5 years was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of tall stature at 3 years (P for trend <.0001).
- Specifically, ≥11.5 hours of nighttime sleep showed the strongest association (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.37).
- Total sleep duration showed no significant association with tall stature.
Conclusions:
- Nighttime sleep duration, rather than total sleep duration, is important for the linear growth of young children.
- Ensuring adequate nighttime sleep may support optimal physical development in early childhood.
Context:
Adequate nighttime sleep duration has been considered beneficial for linear growth in children; however, there is limited and conflicting evidence regarding the association between sleep duration and subsequent linear growth.
Objective:
To investigate the association between sleep duration at 1.5 years and height at 3 years of age.
Methods:
The Japan Environment and Children's Study is a nationwide prospective birth cohort study. Data from 52 140 term singleton births born at an appropriate-for-gestational age without background disorders that could potentially affect linear growth in the analyses were included. Nighttime and total sleep durations were calculated based on a self-administered questionnaire completed by caregivers. Tall stature was defined as height at or above the 75th percentile among participants.
Results:
After adjustment for height at 1.5 years, sex, monthly age, mother's height, presence of siblings at 1.5 years, environmental tobacco smoke at 1.5 years, daily TV/DVD screen time at 2 years, attendance at nursery at 2 years, household annual income at birth, and parents' educational status, multivariate odds ratio (95% CI) for tall stature at 3 years were 1.09 (1.01-1.17), 1.09 (1.01-1.17), and 1.25 (1.14-1.37) for 9.5 or 10, 10.5 or 11, and ≥ 11.5 hours of nighttime sleep duration at 1.5 years, respectively, compared with those with ≤ 9 hours sleep (P for trend <.0001). Total sleep duration was not associated with tall stature.
Conclusion:
This study underscores the importance of nighttime sleep duration, not total sleep duration, in the linear growth of very young children.
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