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Review
. 2023 Feb;27(2):226-250.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-022-03545-9. Epub 2022 Dec 31.

The Architecture of Early Childhood Sleep Over the First Two Years

Sonia Marie Lenehan  1 , Leanna Fogarty  2 , Cathal O'Connor  2 , Sean Mathieson  2 , Geraldine B Boylan  2
Affiliations
Review

The Architecture of Early Childhood Sleep Over the First Two Years

Sonia Marie Lenehan et al. Matern Child Health J. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Introduction: The architecture and function of sleep during infancy and early childhood has not been fully described in the scientific literature. The impact of early sleep disruption on cognitive and physical development is also under-studied. The aim of this review was to investigate early childhood sleep development over the first two years and its association with neurodevelopment.

Methods: This review was conducted according to the 2009 PRISMA guidelines. Four databases (OVID Medline, Pubmed, CINAHL, and Web of Science) were searched according to predefined search terms.

Results: Ninety-three studies with approximately 90,000 subjects from demographically diverse backgrounds were included in this review. Sleep is the predominant state at birth. There is an increase in NREM and a decrease in REM sleep during the first two years. Changes in sleep architecture occur in tandem with development. There are more studies exploring sleep and early infancy compared to mid and late infancy and early childhood.

Discussion: Sleep is critical for memory, learning, and socio-emotional development. Future longitudinal studies in infants and young children should focus on sleep architecture at each month of life to establish the emergence of key characteristics, especially from 7-24 months of age, during periods of rapid neurodevelopmental progress.

Keywords: Early childhood; Infant sleep; NREM; Neurodevelopment; REM; Sleep deprivation; Sleep–wake cycle; Term infants.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart indicating the results of the database search with inclusions and exclusions. Template of the flowchart was taken from Liberati et al. (2009) GA Gestational Age
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Visual summary of the development of sleep in the first year; showing the development of sleep milestones in the EEG
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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