Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004 Jan;89(1):22-5.

Comparison of evoked arousability in breast and formula fed infants

R S C Horne  1 , P M Parslow, D Ferens, A-M Watts, T M Adamson
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of evoked arousability in breast and formula fed infants

R S C Horne et al. Arch Dis Child. 2004 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Currently, there is no consistent evidence that breast feeding reduces the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Arousal from sleep is believed to be an important survival mechanism that may be impaired in victims of SIDS. Previously it has been shown that arousability is impaired by the major risk factors for SIDS such as prone sleeping and maternal smoking.

Aims: To establish whether arousability was altered by method of feeding, and whether breast fed infants would have lower arousal thresholds.

Methods: Forty three healthy term infants were studied using daytime polysomnography on three occasions: 2-4 weeks post-term, 2-3 months post-term, and 5-6 months post-term. Multiple measurements of arousal threshold (cm H(2)O) in response to nasal air jet stimulation applied alternately to the nares were made in both active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS) while infants slept supine. Arousal thresholds and sleep period lengths were compared between formula fed and breast fed infants at each age.

Results: Arousal thresholds were not different between breast fed and formula fed infants in QS. However, in AS breast fed infants were significantly more arousable than formula fed infants at 2-3 months of age. There was no difference between groups of infants when sleep period length was compared at any study.

Conclusions: Breast fed infants are more easily aroused from AS at 2-3 months of age than formula fed infants. This age coincides with the peak incidence of SIDS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Arousal thresholds in quiet sleep and active sleep of breast fed and formula fed infants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. J Gend Specif Med. 2001;4(1):41-9 - PubMed
    1. Early Hum Dev. 2002 Feb;66(2):89-100 - PubMed
    1. Early Hum Dev. 2001 Mar;61(2):119-33 - PubMed
    1. J Paediatr Child Health. 1995 Feb;31(1):14-6 - PubMed
    1. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Sep;76(3):608-13 - PubMed

Publication types