New mothers can expect sleep deprivation in the first years of the baby’s life. But sleeping too little can affect the health of both mother and child. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analyzes maternal and infant sleep patterns, identifies predictors and provides recommendations for instilling healthy habits.
Goals: The first objective of this study was to determine how mother and child sleep duration is related throughout the first 2 years of life. The second objective was to determine whether these relationships change throughout the first 2 years of life. The third objective was to understand the demographic and health predictors of the maternal-infant sleep relationship. Methods: Parents of 464 infants in the STRONG Kids 2 study reported their own and infants’ nighttime sleep duration and other health information (i.e., breastfeeding) at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months postpartum. Results: Latent transition models revealed that there are 2 sleep profiles of mother and child between 3 and 24 months. Low maternal sleep pattern ( LMS) was characterized by maternal sleep duration lower than the recommended amount and lower infant sleep duration. The average maternal sleep pattern (AMS) was characterized by the average duration of maternal sleep that met the recommended standard and the average duration of infant sleep. Approximately half of the mothers who started in the LMS profile transitioned to the AMS profile after 12 months postpartum. Sleep profiles stabilized after 12 months postpartum with limited transitions between 12 and 24 months. More infant-signaled night wakings, later bedtimes, more infant sleep problems, and more exclusive breastfeeding were predictors of being in the low maternal sleep pattern (LMS). Conclusion: Mother and baby sleep profiles stabilized after 12 months of age, and mother and baby sleep profiles are determined by the quality of the baby’s sleep during the night. The findings suggest the need to establish a healthy sleep routine for mothers and babies in the first year of life to promote long-term sleep hygiene. |
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"The first two years are a really critical period when a lot of development is happening, and sleep is important for health. We wanted to look at the association between mother and baby sleep and whether it changes over time," she said. Tianying Cai, now a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University. She worked on the research as a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the U. of I.
"We identified two distinct groups , a low maternal sleep group in which mothers sleep 5 to 6 hours per night, and an average maternal sleep group, which meets the nationally recommended sleep guidelines with 7 to 8 hours per night. Children in the low maternal sleep group also slept less, although the difference was not as large as for mothers," Cai said.
The research team followed the parents of 464 babies in the first two years of life. Mothers completed surveys about their children’s bedtime routines, sleep duration, night wakings, and sleep problems at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months of age.
The families were part of STRONG Kids 2 , a U. of I. program that promotes nutrition and healthy habits in families with young children. STRONG Kids 2 co-directors Barbara Fiese, HDFS professor emeritus, and Sharon Donovan, professor of food science and human nutrition, also contributed to the study.
Mothers who fit the low maternal sleep profile got an average of 5.74 hours of sleep per night at 3 months and 5.9 hours at 12 to 24 months, while their children got 9.6 and 10 .52 hours, respectively. In the average sleep profile, mothers got 7.31 hours at 3 months and 7.28 hours at 12 to 24 months, while children’s sleep averaged 9.99 hours at 3 months and 11 hours at 12 to 24 months.
The research team also identified factors that influence how much sleep a mother gets. Not surprisingly, one of the strongest predictors is baby-signaled night waking, meaning the baby is more likely to alert parents at night. This could be because these babies woke up more frequently or because the mothers were more likely to wake up when the babies moved, Cai noted.
Mothers who had more hours at work were more likely to be in the low sleep group at 3 months, although that was no longer a factor at 12 months. Additionally, those who breastfed their baby at 12 months were more likely to be in the average sleep group.
Over time, many families moved from the low to average sleep group as the babies’ sleep patterns became more established. At 3 months, 60% were in the low maternal sleep group and 40% in the average group, while at 12 months the numbers were reversed. Most of those who were in the average sleep group at 3 months continued to be so throughout the study period.
The researchers found that an earlier bedtime and consistent routines were associated with better sleep patterns, corroborating an earlier study by Fiese and Cai.
"If parents can establish early bedtime routines at three months, it improves sleep duration and reduces sleep problems," Fiese said. "Parents may feel overwhelmed and not realize they have this in their toolbox. Something as simple as setting a regular bedtime from the beginning and having routines, like reading your child a story before bed "You may not think they are understanding it, but the rhythm of your voice establishes predictability and can expand this bedtime routine during the first years of life."
The researchers noted that they did not observe significant differences due to the demographic characteristics of the sample.
"Mother’s education, income, or ethnicity did not predict sleep group membership between 3 and 24 months; all parents faced similar challenges. I think having a baby is a great equalizer for many things, although Moms who have to go back to work or work longer hours may have more pressures," Donovan said. Still, there are steps everyone can take to improve bedtime habits and sleep patterns.
"Getting kids to bed earlier and trying to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines is really important, because studies have shown that sleep is associated with many neurocognitive outcomes and children’s health. Parents can be very proactive, even from a young age, to get their children off on the right foot," he concluded.
Final summary Overall, the findings suggest 2 maternal-infant sleep profiles: low maternal sleep (LMS) and average maternal sleep (AMS), such that mothers in the LMS profile reported sleeping significantly less and below the recommended guidelines at the child level. national. Additionally, mother and child sleep profiles stabilized after 12 months postpartum, suggesting the need for programs to remove barriers to healthy sleep hygiene (e.g., financial stress, demanding work hours) and Help families establish a healthy sleep routine soon after the child turns 3 months old. Previous reports have emphasized the importance of establishing bedtime routines as early as 3 months of age.35 Health care providers can play a key role in discussing the importance of maternal sleep habits and infant sleep to benefit to the entire family, taking into account individual differences in the child’s temperament and maternal characteristics, such as depression and stress. |
