Yuri Nakagawa, University of Toyoma - Breastfeeding and Better Sleep at One Year

Do babies fed breast milk sleep better?

Yuri Nakagawa, public health researcher at the University of Toyama, compares the data with formula fed babies.

Faculty Bio:

Yuri Nakagawa-Miyazaki, M.D., D.D.S., is a plastic surgery resident and public health researcher at the University of Toyama, Japan. Her research focuses on maternal and child health, pediatric sleep, breastfeeding, and population-based epidemiology using nationwide birth cohort data.

Transcript:

Our study analyzed data from more than 82,000 mother-child pairs participating in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, one of the world’s largest nationwide birth cohort studies. We examined whether infant feeding during the first six months of life was associated with sleep duration at one year of age.

We found that children who received breast milk—including those who were fed both breast milk and formula—were less likely to experience short sleep at one year of age than children who were exclusively formula-fed.Our study cannot determine exactly why this association exists. Breast milk contains biologically active components, such as melatonin and tryptophan, that may help regulate infant sleep. It is also possible that other factors, including the gut microbiome.

Importantly, our findings also provide reassuring news for families who use both breast milk and formula. Mixed feeding was also associated with a lower likelihood of short sleep compared with exclusive formula feeding.We hope these findings will help parents make informed feeding decisions without unnecessary guilt or pressure, while encouraging further research into the biological factors that support healthy infant sleep.

Read More:

[Nature] - Breastfeeding and children’s sleep duration at 1 year of age: A nationwide birth cohort - The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

[CP24] - Breastfeeding or formula? Japanese researcher was ‘really surprised’ by results of this study

[University of Toyoma] - Breast Milk, Best Sleep: Nationwide Japanese Study Finds