According to a study, newborns who are more rested at night and get up earlier are less likely than others to gain weight.
Experts from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital monitored the sleep habits and body mass indices of nearly 300 newborns.
The study shows that the relationship between maintaining a healthy weight and getting enough sleep — long established in adults — begins early in life.
Newborns who get more sleep overnight night — and wake up less frequently — are less likely to become overweight, a study has found
Susan Redline, an epidemiologist and expert in sleep, and her colleagues carried out the study.
Dr. Redline.
“In this study, we found out that infants who slept less at night and woke up more often were more likely to become overweight within the first six months of their lives.
For their research, the team conducted observations of a total of 298 newborns who were delivered at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 2016–2018.
Each baby was given a so-called ankle actigraphy watch, a device capable of picking up on patterns of activity and rest over the course of multiple days.
Dr Redline and his colleagues analysed data for three nights at one and six months following birth.
They also included in the analysis sleep diaries that the parents kept, detailing their offspring’s waking episodes.
Additionally, the team calculated each child’s body mass index based their height and weight and determined which children were considered overweight.
Researchers found that an infant’s risk of being overweight by getting just one hour less sleep each night was reduced if they get at least one more hour of sleep.
Researchers found that infants who get just an hour more sleep per night have a 26 percent lower risk of becoming overweight.
Similar results were seen in infants who woke up earlier in the night. They also had a lower chance of excessive weight gain.
According to the team, the exact cause of these correlations is unclear, but they believe that getting more sleep may promote routine feeding practices and self regulation — both factors that help to mitigate against overeating.
Dr Redline said, “This study highlights the importance healthy sleep at all age.”
“Parents should consult with their paediatricians about the best practices to promote healthy sleeping habits, such as keeping consistent sleep times, providing a quiet place for sleeping, and avoiding putting bottles in their bed.
Researchers warned that African American people and families with lower socioeconomic statuses are underrepresented in the study cohort. They also suggested that confounding factors such as breastfeeding duration may be involved.
Now that the study is complete, the team plans to extend the study for a second year to study how sleep patterns can impact childhood growth over the first 2 years of life.
They also plan to test proposed interventions to promote healthier sleeping habits in young children.
The journal SLEEP published all findings.