From Cradle to Early-Life Sleep: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Neonatal Sleep

Background: Sleep plays a critical role in neonatal brain maturation and behavioral regulation, and early-life sleep disturbances have been widely studied in relation to neurodevelopmental vulnerability, particularly among preterm and critically ill infants. Although research on neonatal and early developmental sleep has demonstrated steady growth over the past two decades, the global structure of this literature, its evolving research frontiers, and patterns of scholarly collaboration have not been systematically mapped. Methods: Relevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science(WOS) Core Collection (2000– 2025). Using multiple complementary bibliometric tools, including CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package, we analyzed publication trends, contributing countries and institutions, authorship and co-citation networks, journal distribution, keyword co-occurrence, and emerging thematic clusters. Results: A total of 530 articles were identified, involving 55 countries and regions, 438 institutions, and 636 authors. The United States contributed 30.75% of all publications and demonstrated the highest citation impact. Véronique Bach was the most productive author, whereas Mark S. Scher was the most frequently co-cited, reflecting sustained methodological influence. Monash University emerged as the leading institution, and Sleep Medicine published the highest number of articles. Keyword and temporal analyses revealed an early emphasis on vulnerable neonatal populations and sleep maturation, followed by a progressive shift toward computational analytics, prenatal influences, autonomic regulation, and outcome-oriented research themes. Conclusion: Neonatal sleep research has evolved from predominantly descriptive studies toward increasingly multidisciplinary and methodologically sophisticated investigations. Bibliometric mapping highlights growing emphasis on advanced analytical approaches, integrative physiological framing, and outcome-oriented perspectives, reflecting shifts in research focus rather than direct mechanistic validation. This structured overview delineates dominant themes, emerging frontiers, and persistent knowledge gaps, and may inform the future development of neonatal sleep research. Keywords: neonatal sleep, bibliometric analysis, neurodevelopment, autonomic regulation, citespace, VOSviewer