INFANTILE SLEEP APNEA

INFANTILE SLEEP APNEA

Overview and Facts

Infantile sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder among babies. It involves problems in breathing that happens during an infant’s sleep. Hypopneas are a partial reduction in breathing, while apneas occur when the breathing is completely paused. In infancy, the frequency of these events increases during the stage of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

The apneas in infant sleep can be central, obstructive, or mixed. If your body breathes less or if it stops its effort to breath, that would be a central apnea. These effects result from a problem in the brain or in the heart. The obstructive apneas happen when the soft tissue at the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway during sleep. Mixed apnea involves a central apnea that is directly followed by obstructive apnea.

In small premature infants, the majority of apneas are mixed apneas. For large premature infants and full-term infants, there may be central apneas.

In hypoxemia, infants may not have enough supply of oxygen in the blood. Bradycardia or slow heartbeats may occur in infants. In this case, infants may even lose consciousness and may need to be resuscitated. These breathing problems can cause severe complications. It can be a developmental problem that results from an immature brainstem. It also can be a secondary problem that is caused by another medical condition.

Types and Symptoms

SYMPTOMS

If your infant has obstructive sleep apnea, they may:

  • Have prolonged pauses in breathing that last 20 seconds or longer
  • Have patterns of repeated pauses in breathing that last less than 20 seconds
  • Have related problems such as low oxygen or a slow heartbeat
  • Have needed resuscitation or other urgent care

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

You can visit a doctor who is a sleep specialist to know the status of your infant. If so, set an appointment to a sleep disorder center. There are centers that specialize in helping children. The specialist will study your infant’s history and symptoms. If necessary, the doctor will schedule your infant for an overnight sleep examination. It is called a polysomnogram. It is a way to assess your child’s sleep. The results of the study will assist the doctor to build an individualized treatment plan for your child.

  • Another sleep disorder
  • A medical condition
  • Medication use
  • A mental health disorder

The doctor will ask a few questions about the history of your pregnancy, such as the weight of the child at birth, or if the child is born premature or full-term. The doctor will also ask if some complications occurred during and after you give birth.

The infant should undergo polysomnogram if continuous breathing problems occur during sleep. Polysomnogram is an overnight study. It records your child’s brain waves, heartbeats, and breathing during sleep. It also records the movement of arms and legs. The sleep study will show the nature of your infant’s breathing problem.

TREATMENT

To support the breathing of an infant with infant sleep apnea, you may need a machine. They also may need to undergo some treatments with medications. These options tend to be short-term treatments.

Any medical condition that causes infant sleep apnea or makes it worse also needs to be treated. The treatment will depend on the nature of the medical problem. Ninety-eight percent of preterm infants will be free from symptoms by 40 weeks after conception. The problem is that it will more likely last longer in infants who were born less than 28 weeks after conception. Infant sleep apnea tends to go away as the child grows and matures.

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