Breast-fed infants between two and three months of age are more easily aroused from sleep than infants who are formula-fed, according to a new study. The findings could have implications for the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), say the authors. “Arousal from sleep is believed to be an important survival mechanism that may be impaired in victims of SIDS,” Dr. R. S. C. Horne and colleagues from Monash University, Victoria, Australia, note. Previous studies have shown that arousability is impaired by the major risk factors for SIDS, such as sleeping face down and maternal smoking.
