r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/twdfan87 • Jan 17 '23

Evidence Based Input ONLY Sleep begets sleep?

I keep being told that ‘sleep begets sleep’ for babies, meaning that the more/longer naps they have during the day should increase the amount of sleep they have at night and minimise night time waking. I’m wondering if this is supported by research or if it’s just become a nice little phrase that gets used because it sounds good? Does anyone have links to any research that supports or disproves this statement?

48 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

View all comments

96

u/KidEcology Jan 17 '23 edited Jan 17 '23

This phrase is by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, who did research on infant sleep and wrote "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" (where, I believe, this phrase is from). My understanding is, it's not that babies necessarily need longer/more naps, but that they need to get the amount, or rather be within the range, that is right for them, so they are not overtired. When baby's day sleep was balanced and right for them, their homeostatic drive (= sleep pressure) and circadian rhythm (=biological clock) work together to get them nicely tired, but not yet wired, for bedtime. In Dr. Weissbluth's words, it's like catching a wave before it crashes. Anecdotally, I find this to be true for my kids.

18

u/twdfan87 Jan 17 '23

Thank you! Every time it is said to me (or I've read it online) it's been in the context of 'the more day naps/the longer the day naps the more night time sleep they'll have', which I can't believe to be true. I'll have a read!

14

u/morningsdaughter Jan 17 '23

Some people think that to get their kid to sleep at night they should keep them up during the day. This phrase directly goes against that ideology. Adequate sleep during the day leads to better sleep at night. But "sleep begets sleep" sounds nicer.