RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Higher rectal temperatures in co-sleeping infants.
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 249
OP 250
DO 10.1136/adc.75.3.249
VO 75
IS 3
A1 Tuffnell, C S
A1 Petersen, S A
A1 Wailoo, M P
YR 1996
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/75/3/249.abstract
AB The effect on deep body temperature of infants co-sleeping (with either or both parents) is investigated in this case control study. Overnight continuous recordings of rectal temperature were made from 34 babies co-sleeping with one or both parents throughout the night and 34 infants matched for age, feeding regimen, parental smoking, thermal environment, sleeping position, and sex who slept alone. The co-sleeping infants had significantly higher rectal temperatures from two hours after bedtime, when the initial fall in sleeping body temperature was complete. The mean rectal temperature of co-sleeping infants between two and eight hours was 0.1 degree C higher than that of infants sleeping alone (p < 0.04). Given the very small variance in rectal temperature this probably reflects a considerable physiological difference between the two groups.