Poor infant sleep may indicate attention problems later

New York: One-year-olds who experience frequent night wakings are more likely to have difficulties concentrating and to exhibit behavioural problems at three and four years of age, says a new study.

"Many parents feel that, after a night without enough sleep, their infants are not at their 'best.' But the real concern is whether infant sleep problems -- fragmented sleep,

frequent night wakings -- indicate any future developmental problems," said lead researcher Avi Sadeh from Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel.

"The fact that poor infant sleep predicts later attention and behavior irregularities has never been demonstrated before using objective measures," Sadeh noted.