Infants exclusively breastfed for their first six months hadlower odds of short sleep duration — defined as sleeping less than 11 hours in 24 hours at age one — than infants who were exclusively formula-fed, researchers found after analysing data from 82,918 mother-infant pairs in the nationwide Japan Environment and Children's Study.
Children who received a combination of breastfeeding and formula also had lower odds of short sleep, suggesting the association was not limited to exclusive breastfeeding.
"Perceptions that breastfed infants sleep less, or that formula-fed infants sleep for longer periods, remain common," Yuri Nakagawa from the University of Toyama, the study’s lead author, said in a press release. "We wanted to provide solid evidence to bust this misconception."
Nakagawa added that the study offers reassurance against the widespread belief that breastfed babies sleep less because breast milk is digested more quickly.
She stressed that such concerns should not discourage parents from considering breastfeeding and its many well-established benefits. "WHO widely promotes breastfeeding, and most people are aware of the multiple health benefits it provides," Nakagawa said.
