- Experts led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital studied 300 newborns
- They monitored sleep habits and body mass index over the first six months
- An extra hour of sleep every night reduces the risk of being overweight by 26 percent
- The team believes that regular sleep patterns help counteract overeating.
One study found that newborns who sleep more through the night and are less awake are less likely to be overweight.
Experts from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital monitored the sleeping habits and body mass index of nearly 300 newborns.
Studies show that the association between maintaining a healthy weight and getting enough sleep — long established in adults — begins early in life.
One study found that newborns who sleep more throughout the night — and get up less often — are less likely to be overweight
The study was carried out by Susan Redline, epidemiologist and sleep specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and her colleagues.
‘While an association between insufficient sleep and weight gain is well established in adults and older children, this link has not previously been recognized in infants,’ Dr. Red line.
‘In this study, we found that not only less sleep at night, but more sleep awakenings increase the chances of babies being overweight in the first six months of life.’
For their research, the team observed a total of 298 newborns who were delivered at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2016-2018.
Each child was given a so-called ankle actigraphy watch, a device capable of choosing patterns of activity and rest over the course of several days.
Doctor Redline and his colleagues recorded and analyzed data from three nights one and six months after birth.
Their analysis also included a sleep diary kept by the parents detailing their offspring’s sleep and wake episodes.
Simultaneously, the team calculated each child’s body mass index based on their weight and height, and determined who was classified as overweight.
Researchers found that getting just one extra hour of sleep a night reduced a baby’s risk of becoming overweight by 26 percent.
Researchers found that getting just one extra hour of sleep a night reduced a baby’s risk of becoming overweight by 26 percent.
Similarly, newborns who were less awake throughout the night also had a lower risk of excessive weight gain.
According to the team, the exact reason for these correlations is unclear, but they believe that getting more sleep may promote regular eating practices and self-regulation — both factors that help counteract overeating. We do.
“This study underscores the importance of healthy sleep at every age,” said Dr. Redline.
‘Parents should consult with their pediatricians on best practices for promoting healthy sleep, such as keeping a consistent sleep schedule, providing a dark and quiet place to sleep and avoiding placing a bottle in bed. ‘
The researchers cautioned that African American individuals and families of low socioeconomic status were underrepresented in their study cohort. Simultaneously, he said, confounding factors such as the duration of breastfeeding may be at play.
With this study complete, the team is now looking at extending the study’s duration to determine how sleep patterns may affect childhood development in the first two years of life, as well as sleep and weight. Looking for other intermediary factors between increasing.
They are also looking forward to testing proposed interventions to promote healthy sleep habits in young children.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Sleep.
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