ReviewNature and science of sleep2017
Infant sleep and its relation with cognition and growth: a narrative review.
Review in Nature and science of sleep, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 165 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations between PTSD and pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and Meta- analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Nursing Interventions That Promote Sleep in Preterm Newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units: An Integrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Type of Milk Feeding and Introduction to Complementary Foods in Relation to Infant Sleep: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Use of Actigraphy for the Evaluation of Sleep Disorders and Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and GRADE Assessment.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Early sleep intervention for improving infant sleep quality: a randomized controlled trial, preliminary result.BMC pediatrics · 2024Trial
- Comparison of two different Nasal Interfaces used in Non-Invasive Respiratory support in terms of Neonate comfort.Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi · 2024Trial
- Effects of a Responsive Parenting Intervention Among Black Families on Infant Sleep: A Secondary Analysis of the Sleep SAAF Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- A home-based, post-discharge early intervention program promotes motor development and physical growth in the early preterm infants: a prospective, randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2021Trial
- Sleep-wake patterns in newborns are associated with infant rapid weight gain and incident adiposity in toddlerhood.Pediatric obesity · 2021Trial
- Effects of journal therapy counseling with anxious pregnant women on their infants' sleep quality: a randomized controlled clinical trial.BMC pediatrics · 2020Trial
- Effect of Parental Counseling on Infants' Healthy Sleep Habits in Brazil: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2019Trial
- Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid Supplementation and Sleep in Toddlers Born Preterm: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2019Trial
- Prevalence of self-reported dental pain and associated factors among eight- to ten-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Proportion of infants meeting the Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years: data from the Melbourne InFANT Program.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- A within-person analysis of the links between infant temperament, parenting, and sleep during the first year of life.Infant behavior & development · 2026Article
- Infants' Sleep Supports the Emergence and Mastery of Locomotor and Linguistic Skills.Developmental psychobiology · 2026Article
- Awareness, Use and Acceptability of Infant Behavioural Sleep Interventions: An Initial Exploration Among Caregivers Residing in Five Countries.Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- Impact of Environmental Exposure on Infant Sleep : The Exposome Approach.Journal of sleep research · 2026Review
- Feeding Mode Is Associated with Infant Night Sleep Trajectories During the First Postnatal Year.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Infant Temperament, Breastfeeding, and Sleep at 6 and 14 Months.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveInfant sleep development is a highly dynamic process occurring in parallel to and in interaction with cognitive and physical growth. This narrative review aims to summarize and discuss recent literature and provide an overview of the relation between infant sleep and cognitive development as well as physical growth.
methodsWe conducted online literature search using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. We considered original research on humans published in the English language from January 2005 to December 2015. Search terms included "sleep" AND "infant" AND "cognition" OR "memory" OR "executive functioning", OR "growth" OR "obesity" OR "growth hormone" OR "stunting", and combinations thereof.
resultsTen studies on infant sleep and cognition were included in this review. Overall, findings indicated a positive association between sleep, memory, language, executive function, and overall cognitive development in typically developing infants and young children. An additional 20 studies support the positive role of infant sleep in physical growth, with the current literature focusing largely on weight gain and obesity rather than healthy growth. Existing evidence in both the domains is mainly based on cross-sectional designs, on association studies, and on parental reports. In contrast, there were limited studies on longitudinal sleep trajectories and intervention effects, or studies have not used more objective sleep measures such as actigraphy and polysomnography.
conclusionThe reviewed studies support a critical and positive role of infant sleep in cognition and physical growth. Future studies should consider key environmental and parental confounders, include a combination of more objective (actigraphy) and subjective measures (sleep diaries and questionnaires), and move towards longitudinal trajectory designs of infant sleep and development.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.