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15h ago

Genetics Drive Infant Crying While Environment Shapes Sleep, Twin Study Finds

Published in JCPP Advances this month, the findings map genetic and environmental contributions to crying and sleep in early infancy

(Credit: Nicoleta Ionescu on Shutterstock)
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In the questionnaire, the parents were also asked to state how long it took from the child being put to bed until they were asleep. Credit: Neuroscience News

Overview

  • Researchers surveyed parents of 1,000 Swedish twin pairs at two and five months and will follow them up to 36 months to trace evolving sleep and crying patterns.
  • Genetic factors explained about half of crying variation at two months and increased influence to roughly 70% by five months.
  • Night awakenings and time to settle were mainly shaped by environmental elements such as sleep routines and the child’s sleeping environment.
  • By comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins, the study differentiated hereditary effects from shared home and socio-economic influences in a longitudinal framework.
  • Unexplained behavioral variance was attributed to unique environmental factors, prompting calls for targeted studies on modifiable influences to improve infant sleep.