The Effects of Circumcision on Sleep-Wake States in Human Neonates

The effect of circumcision on the proportion of subsequent sleep-wake states was assessed in eleven, normal, full-term neonates. We speculated, as had been previously suggested, that the proportion of quiet sleep would be increased as a response to this “procedure.” Our results demonstrate that no quiet sleep state shifts were present in the immediate hour after circumcision; instead, significant increases in the proportion of wakefulness were noted, suggesting that later quiet sleep state shifts, if present, may be secondary to changes in wakefulness.