Persistent sleep difficulties in infancy linked to heightened risk of childhood anxieties

Persistent sleep difficulties during the first 12 months of life are linked to a heightened risk of developing childhood anxieties and emotional disorders, indicates research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Based on their findings, poor infant sleepers should be monitored for mental health issues in later childhood, advise the researchers. Around 19% of infants (0-12 months of age) have sleep difficulties, including frequent waking at night and/or trouble falling asleep without help from a parent. These difficulties have been associated with poorer mental health in early childhood, but it’s not clear if this risk persists into