The Development of Circadian Rhythms in Human Infants

In this study sleeping in the same room as the parents improved sleep efficiency. This
finding is interesting in light of a review paper by McKenna and Ball (McKenna et
al., 2007). They surmise that the predominant style of infant care in the Western
hemisphere (separate bed, separate room, non-breast feeding) is a possible
contradiction to the biological model seen in anthropological studies for providing the
best environment for infant care. Ethnic groups with low rates of SIDS are observed
to have care practices that promote maximum preservation of the mother-infant dyad,
whilst those with higher rates have practices that value separation as a „goal‟
advertently or inadvertently (Gantley, 1994, Davies & Gantley, 1994, Blackwell et al.,
2004). Near contact between and mother and her child may have positive effects on
aspects of the baby‟s physiology (Winberg, 2005), which has been the basis for
practices such as kangaroo care (Ludington-Hoe et al., 1994). The high rates of SIDS
in some regions may now, in light of the findings of this study, have a primarily
physiological basis combined with a genetic predisposition and environmental factors
such as infection, interacting with aspects of infant care. These observations, if
validated by further study, could form the basis of simple public health messages
regarding „the science of infant care‟ such as providing a physiological basis for
sleeping in same room as your infant in the first 6 months.
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