Influence of sleeping position of the infant on sleep: an integrative review

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the influence of infant sleeping position on sleep. An integrative literature review was conducted in Pubmed, LILACS, SciELO and Cochrane, with the descriptors, "sleep', "infant' and the terms "position' and "positioning", in Spanish, English and Portuguese, published between 2000 and 2013. Six articles met the criteria for inclusion and exclusion. These studies were categorized into arousal from sleep and sleep stages. The results indicated that in the prone position, the infant had fewer arousal events, enabling deeper active sleep and greater amount of quiet sleep. The supine position is related to a greater amount of active sleep and more arousals, and does not expose the infant to the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The supine position results in more arousals than the prone position, however, it promotes greater safety to the infant during sleep.