Understanding Co-Sleeping: Debunking Myths and Exploring the Science

2023-09-21 11:34:24

Your child’s sleep arrangements at the beginning of life depend on a multitude of factors that influence this choice. What we call “co-sleeping” is a polarized subject. Important questions surrounding this practice are often drowned out in a whirlwind of information… and opinions. The parents quickly find themselves lost.

As researchers at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, experts in early childhood and the sleep of children and adolescents, we have identified scientific studies on the issue, in order to show both sides of the coin.

What is “co-sleeping”?

Co-sleeping is a sleeping arrangement. It is not a method of falling asleep, even if this arrangement strongly influences it.

Il is defined in two ways:

Co-sleeping on a shared surface, such as sharing the same bed; Co-sleeping in the same room, which involves sharing the same place to sleep.

A recent Canadian study reports that around a third of mothers co-sleep on the same surface, while 40% say they have never co-sleeped. A study carried out in Quebec at the end of the 1990s revealed that a third of mothers co-slept in the same room.

Two schools of thought

In light of the high mortality rates (one in a thousand) among infants in Canada in the late 2000ssociety has adopted a rather alarmist view towards co-sleeping.

The first school of thought is more focused on the medical aspects, relating to the risks of sleeping with a baby, such as suffocation, crushing or sudden infant death syndrome.

The second school attempts to facilitate breastfeeding practice and inclusion of cultural and family values and believes that co-sleeping favors them.

These two main schools of thought coexist, which explains why the choice of sleep arrangement in the first months can become a real headache for parents.

Better for breastfeeding and communication

Does co-sleeping promote breastfeeding during the night? Yes, according to scientific studies. But it is difficult to say whether it is breastfeeding who favors this practice or if it is the opposite. Regardless, breastfeeding is the main reason why mothers choose co-sleeping in a shared space.

However, no difference was found between breastfeeding at night and the two types of co-sleeping. This data is relevant, since sleeping in the same room promotes breastfeeding as much as in a shared space.

The same goes for responding to the child’s needs. According to a scientific study, physical contact as well as proximity in the same room would promote synchrony of the child’s circadian rhythm with that of the parent. This would help the baby consolidate his sleep. The parent would be more alert to the infant’s signals in both types of sleep arrangements, which would help communication et would allow us to respond easily and quickly to our needs.

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Less stress

Co-sleeping reduces the baby’s stress, but it depends on the level.

A study surveyed parents on this subject: children who benefited from one of the two co-sleeping arrangements had a lower level of anxiety at preschool age, compared to those who had co-sleeping for less than six months.

Another study demonstrated that children who slept with their parent had a weaker response to stress at the age of 12 months, compared to those who did not. However, the higher the level of stress (for example, during a vaccination) compared to moderate stress (during bathing), the difference attenuates between the two groups. Note that several variables remain to be tested in order to fully understand this link, and that the two types of co-sleeping arrangements have not been compared.

More disturbed and fractured sleep

Babies who co-sleep wake up more often than those who sleep alone early in life. This is also true for parents.

A study measuring the amount of sleep at six, twelve and eighteen months showed that children sleeping co-sleeping on a shared surface or in the same room have more nighttime awakenings, compared to those sleeping alone, and this , after controlling the type of feeding (breast or bottle). In this case, we notice longer sleep cycles without awakenings. However, the study did not investigate whether there were differences in arousal between the two types of co-sleeping.

Mothers who co-sleep on a shared surface report falling asleep more easily and quickly, but waking up more frequently in their baby. They say they choose this arrangement to improve their family’s sleep.

Mothers generally do not perceive no sleep difficulties in their baby. But when mothers’ sleep is measured by actigraphy, it is more fragmented and disrupted up to 18 monthscompared to those who opted for a solitary sleep arrangement.

Another objective study reveals that co-sleeping on a shared surface over a longer term (for the child’s first two years of life) is associated with shorter sleep duration at night, a greater need for naps during the day, and a higher proportion of difficulty falling asleep.

Attachment: no clear answers

Is co-sleeping on a shared surface associated with a stronger attachment bond with the child?

This subject is controversial. Studies have reported a stronger attachment bond in babies who co-sleep on a shared surface compared to those who slept alone. Others report no link, positive or negative, between parent-child attachment and sleeping arrangement after the child’s first six months of life.