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Clinical Studies on Sleep Training
Clinical Studies and their position on sleep training
Jump onto social media or do a Google search, and it can be easy to see why the world seems so divided by sleep training. A loud group of people strongly oppose sleep training, and run blogs, write articles and run social media pages to spread the word about this.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, what the science has to say is very clear.
A full review of the science reveals 76 clinical studies; 75 advocates for sleep training, and 1 has no position for or against it.
The full list is below.
Advocate for Sleep Training:
| The elimination of tantrum behavior by extinction procedures | Williams, CD | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13844825/ |
| Tackling sleep problems through clinic-based approach | Sanger, S, Weir, K, and Churchill, E. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6913558/ |
| Management of night-waking in young children | Seymour, FW, Bayfield, G, Brock, P, and During, M | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1467-8438.1983.tb00066.x |
| Behavioural management of sleep problems | Jones, DP, and Verduyn, CM | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6859937/ |
| Modifying bedtime disruptions in children using stimulus control and contingency man- agement techniques. | Sanders, MR, Bor, B, and Dadds, M | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43471693_Modifying_Bedtime_Disruptions_in_Children_using_Stimulus_Control_and_Contingency_Management_Techniques |
| Amelioration of infant sleep disturbances: Effects of scheduled awak- enings by compliant parents | Johnson and Lerner | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1097-0355%28198521%296%3A1%3C21%3A%3AAID-IMHJ2280060105%3E3.0.CO%3B2-Q |
| Training parents to use extinction to eliminate nighttime crying by gradually increasing the criteria for ignoring crying | Rolider, A, and Van Houten, R | https://www.jstor.org/stable/42898840 |
| Sleep problems in preschool children: community clinics | R. T. BIDDER, O. P. GRAY, P. M. HOWELLS, M. P. EATON | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2214.1986.tb00510.x |
| Stopping bedtime crying: Treating the child and the parents. | Chadez, LH, and Nurius, PS. | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15374424jccp1603_5 |
| Reducing nocturnal awakening and crying episodes in infants and young children: A comparison between scheduled awakenings and systematic ignoring | Rickert, VI, and Johnson, CM | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3340471/ |
| Behaviour modification in the treatment of sleep problems occurring in young children: A controlled trial using health visitors as therapists | Weir, IK, and Dinnick, S. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3228961/ |
| Reducing bedtime tantrums: Comparison between positive routines and Graduated Extinction. | Adams, LA, and Rickert, VI. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2797970/ |
| Reducing sleep disruptions in young children: evaluation of therapist-guided and written information approaches: a brief report | Seymour, Brock, During, & Poole | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2687306/ |
| Behavior management of infant sleep disturbance | France, KG, and Hudson, SM. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1286213/ |
| Sleep problems: a group approach | Carpenter, A. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2211142/ |
| Night waking in infants: Effects of providing advice and support for par- ents | Scott, G., & Richards, M. P | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2365760/ |
| Treatment of infant sleep disturbance by trimeprazine in combination with extinction | France, KG, Blampied, NM, and Wilkinson, P | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1939687/ |
| Treatment of infant sleep disturbance by Graduated Extinction | Lawton, C, France, KG, and Blampied, NM | https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-25242-001 |
| Intervention package for treating sleep disorders in a four-year-old girl. | Ronen, T. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1757592/ |
| Reducing night waking in infancy: a primary care intervention | Adair, R., Zuckerman, B., Bauchner, H., Philipp, B., & Levenson, S | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1557234/ |
| Effects of parent training on infant sleeping patterns, parents’ stress, and perceived parental competence | Wolfson, A., Lacks, P., & Futterman, A. | https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1992-24420-001 |
| Treatment of childhood sleep disorders: Generalization across disorders and effects on family members | J A Mindell, V M Durand | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8138867/ |
| The bedtime pass: an approach to bedtime crying and leaving the room. | Friman, PC, Hoff, KE, Schnoes, C, Freeman, KA, Woods, DW, and Blum, N | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10520609/ |
| Management of infant sleep problems in a residential unit. | Leeson, R, Barbour, J, RomaniUnited Kingdom, D, and Warr, R. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8033332/ |
| Sleep problems in toddlers: Effects of treatment on their daytime behavior | Minde, K, Faucon, A, and Falkner, S | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7982862/ |
| Assessment of intervention for infant night waking: Parental reports and activity-based home monitoring | Avi Sadeh | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8034831/ |
| Preventing sleep problems in infants: a randomized controlled trial | SUnited States of American M. Kerr, Sarah A Jowett B, Lorraine N Smith | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2648.1996.tb02929.x |
| Treatment of young children’s bedtime refUnited States of Americal and nighttime wakings: A comparison of “standard” and graduated ignoring procedures | Reid, MJ, Walter, AL, and O’Leary, SG. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10197402/ |
| The effects of extinction in the treatment of sleep problems with a child with a physical disability | Didden, R, Moor, JD, and Kruit, IW. | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/103491299100650 |
| Sleep, neurobehavioral functioning, and behavior problems in school-age children | Sadeh, A, Gruber, R, and Raviv, A | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11949899/ |
| Randomised controlled trial of behavioural infant sleep intervention to improve infant sleep and maternal mood | Hiscock, H, and Wake, M. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11991909/ |
| Changes in infant sleep problems after a family-centered intervention | Skuladottir, A, and Thome, M | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14651310/#:~:text=Changes%20in%20day%20naps%20and,more%20so%202%20months%20later. |
| Treatment of sleep problems in families with young children: effects of treatment on family well-being | Eckerberg, B | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14989452/ |
| Evaluation of brief broup-administered enstruction for parents to pre- vent or minimize sleep problems in young children with Down Syndrome | Stores, R., & Stores, G. | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-2322.2004.00174.x |
| Adolescents, substance abuse, and the treatment of insomnia and daytime sleepiness | Bootzin, R. R., & Stevens, S. J | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15953666/ |
| Improving day and night sleep problems in infants by changing day time sleep rhythm: a single group before and after study | Skuladottir, Thome, & Ramel | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16210022/ |
| Effect of a consultation teaching behaviour modification on sleep performance in infants: a randomised controlled trial | Symon BG, Marley JE, Martin AJ, Norman ER | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06669.x |
| Modifications of Systematic Ignoring in the Management of Infant Sleep Disturbance: Efficacy and Infant Distress. | France, K. G., & Blampied, N. M | https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-07499-001 |
| Improving infant sleep and maternal mental health: a cluster randomised trial | Harriet Hiscock, Jordana Bayer, Lisa Gold, Anne Hampton, Obioha C United Kingdomoumunne, and Melissa Wake | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2083609/ |
| A behavioral-educational intervention to promote maternal and infant sleep: a pilot randomized, controlled trial | Stremler, R., Hodnett, E., Lee, K., MacMillan, S., Mill, C., Ongcangco, L., & Willan, A | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17252892/ |
| Effects of an Intervention Aimed at Reducing Night Waking and Signaling in 6- to 12-Month-Old Infants | W. A. Hall,R. A. Saunders,M. Clauson,E. M. Carty &P. A. Janssen | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15402010bsm0404_4 |
| Long-term mother and child mental health effects of a population-based infant sleep intervention: cluster-randomized, controlled trial | Hiscock H, Bayer JK, Hampton A, United Kingdomoumunne OC, Wake M | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18762495/ |
| A brief parental education for shaping sleep habits in 4-month-old infants. | Adachi, Y., Sato, C., Nishino, N., Ohryoji, F., Hayama, J., & Yamagami, T | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2757435/ |
| A nightly bedtime routine: impact on sleep in young children and maternal mood | Jodi A Mindell 1, Lorena S Telofski, Benjamin Wiegand, Ellen S Kurtz | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19480226/ |
| The role of cognitive–behavioral therapy in behavioral childhood insomnia. | Tikotzky L, Sadeh A | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20620108/ |
| Implementation of a nightly bedtime routine: How quickly do things improve? | Mindell, J. A., Du Mond, C., Sadeh, A., Telofski, L. S., Kulkarni, N., & Gunn, E. | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6587179/ |
| Long-term efficacy of an Internet-based intervention for infant and toddler sleep disturbances: One year follow-up | Mindell, J. A., Du Mond, C., Sadeh, A., Telofski, L. S., Kulkarni, N., & Gunn, E | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190851/ |
| A randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behaviour therapy for behavioural insomnia of childhood in school-aged children | Paine and Gradisar | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550589/ |
| A brief sleep intervention improves outcomes in the school entry year: A randomized controlled trial. | Quach, Hiscock, United Kingdomoumunne, & Wake | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21890825/ |
| Behavioural treatments to encourage solo sleeping in pre-school children: An alternative to controlled crying. | Blunden | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367493510397623 |
| A multimodal group therapy intervention for parents of young children with sleep disorders: a pilot study | Schlarb, Brandhorst, & Hautzinger | https://europepmc.org/article/med/21563111 |
| Five-Year Follow-up of Harms and Benefits of Behavioral Infant Sleep Intervention: Randomized Trial | Anna M.H. Price, BA(Hons); Melissa Wake, MB BS; Obioha C. United Kingdomoumunne, PhD; Harriet Hiscock, MB BS | https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/130/4/643/30241/Five-Year-Follow-up-of-Harms-and-Benefits-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext |
| Five-year follow-up of harms and benefits of behavioral infant sleep intervention: randomized trial | Anna M H Price 1, Melissa Wake, Obioha C United Kingdomoumunne, Harriet Hiscock | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22966034/ |
| Outcomes at six years of age for children with infant sleep problems: longitudinal community-based study | Price A, Wake M, United Kingdomoumunne OC, Hiscock H. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22748447/ |
| Effects of a standardized pamphlet on insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders. | Adkins, K. W., Molloy, C., Weiss, S. K., Reynolds, A., Goldman, S. E., Burnette, C. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23118244/ |
| An Internet-based intervention program for parents of young children with sleep problems— Influence on parental behavior and children’s sleep. | Schlarb and Brandhorst | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630970/ |
| Pilot study of a mindfulness-based, multi-component, in-school group sleep intervention in adolescent girls | Bei Bei, Michelle L. Byrne, Clare Ivens, Joanna Waloszek, Michael J. Woods, Paul Dudgeon, Greg Murray, Christian L. Nicholas, John Trinder, Nicholas B. Allen | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1751-7893.2012.00382.x |
| Effect of behavioural-educational intervention on sleep for primiparous women and their infants in early postpartum: Multisite randomised controlled trial. | Stremler, R., Hodnett, E., Kenton, L., Lee, K., Weiss, S. T., Weston, J., & Willan, A | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23516146/ |
| AN INDIVIDUALIZED AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO TREATING SLEEP PROBLEMS IN YOUNG CHILDREN | C. Sandy Jin, Gregory P. Hanley, Lauren Beaulieu | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaba.16 |
| A randomized controlled trial of an intervention for infants' behavioral sleep problems | Wendy A Hall 1, Eileen Hutton 2, Rollin F Brant 3, Jean Paul Collet 4, Kathy Gregg 5, Roy Saunders 6, Osman Ipsiroglu 7, Amiram Gafni 8, Kathy Triolet 9, Lillian Tse 10, Radhika Bhagat 11, Joanne Wooldridge 12 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26567090/ |
| Behavioral Interventions for Infant Sleep Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial | Michael Gradisar 1, Kate Jackson 2, Nicola J Spurrier 3, Joyce Gibson 4, Justine Whitham 2, Anne Sved Williams 5, Robyn Dolby 3, David J Kennaway 6 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27221288/ |
| Controlled-release melatonin, singly and combined with cognitive behavioural ther- apy, for persistent insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders: A randomized placebo-controlled trial | Cortesi, Giannotti, Sebastiani, Panunzi, & Valente | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22616853/ |
| Better Nights/Better Days—Distance Intervention for Insomnia in School-Aged Children With/Without ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial | Penny Corkum, PhD, Patricia Lingley-Pottie, PhD, Fiona Davidson, MA, Patrick McGrath, OC, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, Christine T. Chambers, PhD, Jennifer Mullane, PhD, Sheila Laredo, MD, PhD, Kimberley Woodford, MCYS, CTRS, Shelly K. Weiss | https://academic.oup.com/jpepsy/article/41/6/701/2580076 |
| Anticipatory guidance to prevent infant sleep problems within a randomised controlled trial: infant, maternal and partner outcomes at 6 months of age | Barbara C Galland, Rachel M Sayers, Sonya L Cameron1, Andrew R Gray, Anne-Louise M Heath, Julie A Lawrence, Alana Newlands, Barry J Taylor1, Rachael W Taylor | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/5/e014908 |
| An open trial of bedtime fading for sleep disturbances in preschool children: a parent group education approach | Michele R. Cooney, Michelle A. Short, Michael Gradisar | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138994571830073X |
| Parental Use of “Cry Out” in a Community Sample During the First Year of Infant Life | Giesbrecht, Gerald F. PhD*,†,‡; Letourneau, Nicole PhD*,§; Campbell, Tavis PhD‡; Hart, Martha PhD§; Thomas, Jenna C. PhD†,‡; Tomfohr-Madsen, Lianne PhD†,‡; the APrON Study Team | https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/abstract/2020/07000/parental_use_of__cry_out__in_a_community_sample.8.aspx |
| Behavioral insomnia in infants and young children | Eun Kyeong Kang, MD, PhD1 and Seung Soo Kim, MD, PhD2 | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7940085/#:~:text=A%20study%20from%201988%20showed,and%20young%20children%20%5B28%5D. |
| Parental use of ‘cry it out’ in infants: no adverse effects on attachment and behavioural development at 18 months | Ayten Bilgin, Dieter Wolke | https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.13223 |
| Infant Sleep Position: A Randomized Clinical Trial of an Educational Intervention in the Maternity Ward in Porto Alegre, Brazil | Issler RM, Marostica PJ, Giugliani ER | https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00308.x |
| Use of a behavioural programme in the first 3 months to prevent infant crying and sleeping problems | St James‐Roberts I, Sleep J, Morris S, Owen C, Gillham P | https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1754.2001.00699.x |
| Preventing Early Infant Sleep and Crying Problems and Postnatal Depression: A Randomized Trial | Hiscock, H., Cook, F., Bayer, J., Le, H., Mensah., F., Cann, W., Symon, B., & St James-Roberts, I. | https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-1886 |
| Preventing sleeping problems in infants who are at risk of developing them | Nikolopoulou, M., & St James-Roberts, I. | https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.88.2.108 |
| A randomized controlled trial to compare alternative strategies for preventing infant crying and sleep problems in the first 12 weeks: the COSI study | Sleep, J., Gillham, P., St James-Roberts, I., & Morris, S. | https://doi.org/10.1191/1463423602pc105oa |
| The effectiveness of an early parenting intervention for mothers with infants with sleep and settling concerns: a prospective non-equivalent before-after design | Hauck YL, Hall WA, Dhaliwal SS, Bennett E, Wells G. | https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03734.x |
No position - for or against sleep training
| Asynchrony of mother-infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity following extinction of infant crying responses induced during the transition to sleep | W. Middlemiss | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21945361/ |
Literature Reviews - advocate for sleep training
A search for literature reviews shows 9 reviews, 8 advocate for sleep training and 1 holds no position for or against.
| Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Behavioral Interventions for Pediatric Insomnia | Lisa J Meltzer, Jodi A Mindell | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24947271/ | |
| A systematic review of prevention and treatment of infant behavioural sleep problems | Antonia Reuter, Sven-Arne Silfverdal, Kristin Lindblom, Anders Hjern | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/apa.15182 | |
| Seeing the Whole Elephant: a scoping review of behavioral treatments for pediatric insomnia | Lisa J. Meltzer a, *, Allison Wainer b, 1, Erin Engstrom b, 2, Lauren Pepa b, 3, Jodi A. Mindell | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33387973/ | |
| Implementation of Behavioral Interventions for Infant Sleep Problems in Real-World Settings | Michal Kahn, Natalie Barnett, and Michael Gradisar | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36375604/ | |
| An overview of reviews for preventing and treating sleep problems in infants | Filip Drozd 1, Turid Skjerve Leksbø 1, Hege Therese Størksen 2, Cathrine Elisabeth Weyde Wilhelmsen 3, Kari Slinning 1 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35778903/ | |
| Do psychosocial sleep interventions improve infant sleep or maternal mood in the postnatal period? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials | Kempler L, Sharpe L, Miller CB, Bartlett DJ. | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079215001008?via%3Dihub | |
| Controversies in Behavioral Treatment of Sleep Problems in Young Children | Jocelyn H. Thomas, PhDa, Melisa Moore, PhDa, Jodi A. Mindell, PhD | https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-23397-015 |
| Behavioral Treatment of Bedtime Problems and Night Wakings in Infants and Young Children | Jodi A. Mindell, PhD1,4; Brett Kuhn, PhD2 ; Daniel S. Lewin, PhD3 ; Lisa J. Meltzer, PhD4 ; Avi Sadeh, DSc5 | https://aasm.org/resources/practiceparameters/review_nightwakingschildren.pdf |
Not for or against sleep training
| Behavioral sleep interventions in the first six months of life do not improve outcomes for mothers or infants: a systematic review | Pamela S Douglas, Peter S Hill | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24042081/ |
How do all these blogs have links to back up their anti sleep training claims?
The anti sleep training community takes scientific studies which show or prove one thing and try to relate this to sleep training.
To better understand how they do this, imagine I have a study that shows child abuse damages children's brains. Then I decide because I don't like sleep training, I think it is child abuse. Now I have "proof" that sleep training causes brain damage to babies.
| Blunt Bugental, D. et al. | 2003 | The hormonal costs of subtle forms of infant maltreatment |
That is exactly what people do with this study, which shows smacking causes hormonal changes, which could then cause long-term issues in the baby. It is about smacking, not sleep training. But people think this to back up their ideas that sleep training will cause hormonal issues and long-term issues for babies.
The study below looked at the trauma or PTSD from combat! It has nothing to do with sleep training, yet this is cited, too.
| Bremmer, J.D. et al. | 1998 | The effects of stress on memory and the hippocampus throughout the life cycle: Implications for childhood development and aging |
The list goes on and on, over 40 studies are regularly cited as "proof" that sleep training is dangerous or harmful.
Yet they are either completely irrelevant or broad theoretical articles, not sleep or sleep-training specific, or animal studies for models of child abuse or child maltreatment. Again linked to an opinion that people think sleep training is child abuse.
The reality of sleep training done in a loving home, by loving parent and the child is buffered by a consistent, loving parent is effective and safe.
The choice to sleep train is always that, a choice!
But when trying to decide if you need or want to sleep train, ask yourself... is this the right time, is this going to help my baby sleep longer, is this going to help my baby settle faster, is this going to help me sleep longer, do I need support to do this.
But there is no need to consider "Is this safe."
Sleep training is safe and effective.
