Good sleep is important for health. Sleep rejuvenates the body and helps the body to repair and heal itself. Not just adults, infants too benefit from a good night’s sleep according to results from the Rise and SHINE (Sleep Health in Infancy & Early Childhood) study. This 5-year study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is examining the impact of sleep on the growth and development of newborns.

Reported in the journal Sleep, the findings of this study suggest that infants who sleep for a longer time and with fewer interruptions during nighttime are less likely to become overweight during the first six months of their life.^1,2

The study included 298 full-term infants born at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2016-2018. While parents maintained infant sleep diaries and reported on their baby’s sleep patterns, ankle actigraphy watches were also used to objectively track nighttime sleep duration (measured between 7 pm and 8 am), wake after sleep onset and number of waking bouts ≥5 min at one and 6 months of age. Overweight was defined as ≥ 95th percentile for weight and length. The mean (SD) birth weight was 3.4 (0.4) kg

Every one hour increase in sleep duration at night was associated with 26% less chances of being overweight from 1 to 6 months (odds ratio 0.74). Similarly, for every 1-unit decrease in the number of nighttime awakenings, their likelihood of being overweight reduced by 16% (OR = 0.84). No such association was observed for wake after sleep onset.

These study findings show that babies who slept soundly and for longer duration at night were less likely to be overweight at 6 months of age. Studies in adults have linked poor sleep with an increase in the risk of obesity. A similar association may be seen even during infancy, as is evident from this study, which may have an adverse impact on their future health. However, this study has only demonstrated a correlation between the two and not a cause-and-effect association.

“Sleep is the ‘most sedentary activity’, yet may be the only one that protects from weight gain”.³

Reference

1. Li X, et al. Longitudinal association of actigraphy-assessed sleep with physical growth in the first 6 months of life. Sleep, Oct 22, 2021; zsab243, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsab243.
2. NIH news release, October 22, 2021.
3. Beccuti G, et al. Sleep and obesity. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2011 Jul;14(4):402-12.