Sensitive Infants Sleep Shallowly: Deep Sleep Less Restorative in Highly Sensitive Babies

A University of East Anglia study using brainwave monitoring shows eight- to eleven-month-old infants with high sensory sensitivity spend similar amounts of time in deep sleep as peers, but their deep sleep is shallower with weaker slow waves, making it less restorative; while noise worsens sleep disruption, these babies remain lighter sleepers even in quiet environments, suggesting an intrinsic sensory wiring difference that could relate to autism traits and early brain development.