Exclusive Breastfeeding Linked to 23% Lower Odds of Short Sleep at Age One in 82,918-Infant Cohort

Researchers divided 82,918 mother-infant pairs into four feeding groups based on six-month questionnaires and assessed parent-reported sleep at one year, defining insufficient sleep as under 11 hours per National Sleep Foundation guidance. After multivariable adjustment, a clear dose-response emerged: longer breastfeeding duration tracked with progressively lower short-sleep risk, reaching a 23% relative reduction for exclusive breastfeeding. The observational design cannot exclude residual confounding by maternal sleep practices or socioeconomic factors that also influence feeding choice.