Development of sleep/wake patterns in infants during the first 12 months of life / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This was a nationwide study of sleep circadian in term infants. The aim was to understand the development characteristics of infants' sleep/wake patterns longitudinally in their own home environments over the first 12 months of life.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Totally 524 healthy term infants from 9 urban districts took part in this project Their sleep/wake patterns over 24 h were recorded using parental sleep diaries, from the 2nd day to 12 months old.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The results showed that infant daytime sleep changed significantly at 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 8-9 months after birth, and the change was the fastest in the first month, the mean percentage of daytime sleep decreased from 82.4% at Day 2 to 62.8% at 1 month old. Also, the average number of naps reduced from 3.7 to 2 across the infancy. The ability of continuous sleep throughout the night gradually enhanced from 1 month old, and the nocturnal longest sleep time extended to 6.8 h at 4 months of age as well as the nighttime awakening frequency less than 0.5 over 6 months old. Additionally, the nighttime sleep increased significantly at 4 and 9 months after birth, where the proportion of nighttime sleep increased from 55.8% at Day 2 to 64.3% of 4 months and 71.2% of 9 months respectively. In general, the total sleep time over a 24 h period presented a downward trend as the infant aged.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The periods 0-6 and 8-9 months after birth were the key periods for the development of infant sleep.</p>

Study on prevalence and risk factors of sleep disorder among Chinese children aged 0 to 23 months in city / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence and main influences on sleep disorder among Chinese children aged 0 to 23 months, as to providing scientific interventions for infant sleep disorder.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All 7601 children under two years old were selected by stratifying samples from twelve cities in China. The objects' parents were surveyed with questionnaire. All data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total incidence of sleep disorders at 0 to 23 months was 21.94%. The main problems were difficulty falling asleep, nighttime waking and snoring. Feeding manner, sleep environment, sleep-associated habits and medical conditions were all influences on infant's sleep disorder.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Enhancing sleep health education to change parents' nurturing modes should be an important role in preventing infant sleep disorders.</p>