Infant sleep apnea is common in low-weight premature infants, but is rare in infants that are delivered full term.

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Sleep apnea is a condition that causes a person to stop breathing when they sleep. This condition can affect anyone from infants to adults and is due to a variety of possible factors. But for infants the one factor that sets an infant off from others is their gestational age and birth weight. Statistically sleep apnea occurs in 85 percent of the infants that are born prior to 28 weeks of gestational age and whose birth weight is less than 2.2 pounds.

During REM sleep incidences of sleep apnea occur more frequently. When we are in REM sleep we are in a deep sleep and this could be a reason that apnea events increase during this time frame. There are three types of sleep apnea that can affect infants; central, obstructive and mixed, which is a combination of the other two.

What Is the Difference Between the Three Types of Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea is a condition that is caused by your body decides to stop trying to breathe. The signal from the brain either doesn’t happen or is lost on its way to the respiratory system and the muscles that control breathing. This type of sleep apnea typically has some underlying cause In premature infants this can be due to the respiratory system’s immaturity. In other words, it isn’t developed well enough due to the lack of development in the womb.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea in children. It is, as the name suggests, the result of an obstruction in the airway. This obstruction can be the result of a congenital anomaly of the airway pathway that narrows it, it could be related to the tonsils and adenoids or a foreign body in the airway.

The last type of apnea is the mixed apnea. This is a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea. In this syndrome the infant has characteristics of both types of apnea. As an example, a premature infant suffering from central apnea gets a viral illness. The illness causes nasal congestion and these two factors combine to become mixed apnea.

How Can You Tell if Your Infant Has This Condition?

Infant sleep apnea is a frightening condition. Frequently the diagnosis is made when a caregiver brings the child to the doctor and says that the child’s color changed when they were sleeping, or they were listless, or they simply stopped breathing. Pediatricians take these signs quite seriously because they can have life threatening consequences.

For you, if you notice your infant has a pattern of having trouble breathing or it sounds like there is an obstruction in their throat, let your pediatrician know. If you notice that your child has partial interruptions in breathing while they are sleeping that is also an indication and should be brought to your doctor’s attention. The fact is there is very little you can do yourself with an infant. It’s hard to control the position they sleep in, they can’t wear dental appliances and they can’t sleep sitting up. You need your physician to help you with this problem before you end up in an emergency room with your infant.

What Else Should I Know?

If you have a premature infant, keep a close eye on him or her when they are sleeping particularly when you first bring them home from the hospital. Many new parents think that as long as their infant’s crib is devoid of toys or clutter that could suffocate the child that sleep time is a safe time. Many parents may not realize their child is having episodes of sleep apnea because most parents don’t sit and watch their child sleep.

For the most part these parents shouldn’t have to. If you have a child with a normal birth weight who was carried to full term your infant has nearly a zero chance of developing sleep apnea unless they have a congenital abnormality that predisposes them to the condition or they are obese.

If, however, your infant was born with a very low birth weight and was premature, especially if delivered younger than a gestational age of 28 weeks, then you should be cautious when your child is sleeping. Keep an eye on your infant and make note of any disturbances in their breathing. You can include snoring in that disturbance category because it is a symptom of obstructive apnea.

If you live near Columbus, Ohio and your child had apnea as an infant, bring your toddler to Mark Levy, DDS. He is a dental sleep specialist and he can evaluate your child for dental issues that may contribute to the potential for sleep apnea in the future.

Call (614) 777-7350 to reach Mark Levy, DDS, and have him evaluate your child to see if they are suffering from sleep apnea. Once you know what the problem is, finding the solution becomes easier!