Nearly half of parents in Finland believe their infants experience abnormal sleep patterns, but accurately assessing sleep disturbances can be challenging. Sofie de Sena, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, explored infant sleep through her doctoral thesis, utilizing a smart wearable device known as NAPPA (NAPping PAnts), which tracks sleep metrics such as body position, respiration, and activity in the home environment.
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De Sena stated, "This is a substantial leap forward in assessing infant sleep. The smart wearable system monitors the child without interruption, making it possible to track sleep without disrupting daily life."
The study compared parents' assessments of their children's sleep with data from the NAPPA device. De Sena found that parents often overlooked brief awakenings and tended to overestimate the duration of longer ones. She emphasized the importance of distinguishing parental estimates from direct measurements, stating, "Direct measurement is the only route to objective understanding of infant sleep."
Parents may struggle to accurately gauge their children's sleep quality, as a baby's movements and sounds might be misinterpreted as wakefulness, despite being normal aspects of active sleep. Additionally, the study revealed a connection between sleeping position, variation, and infant motor development, suggesting that sleep movements may relate to broader neurological growth in motor skills.
These findings indicate that smart wearables can enhance sleep monitoring and support for families. De Sena remarked, "Objective, long-term sleep monitoring at home is a great opportunity to investigate early development in children. It also identifies sleep characteristics that are not necessarily conveyed through parental reporting. In the future, sleep assessment with smart wearables could possibly become part of routine healthcare within maternity clinics and family guidance."
Sofie de Sena, MSc, is set to defend her doctoral thesis on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 PM in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki, with the public examination taking place at Niilo Hallman Hall, HUS Park Hospital.
For further information, Sofie de Sena can be contacted at +358 400 493 143.