Sleep apnea symptoms have been presenting themselves in your infant. This is a scary time for you as a parent and you may not know what comes next. If your infant is showing signs of sleep apnea such as pauses in breathing that are lasting more than 20 seconds, gasping for air while sleeping, loud snoring, restless sleeping, frequent waking, or showing signs of oxygen deficiency such as lips, forehead, and trunk turning blue then you will want to make an appointment to speak with their pediatrician sooner rather than later.

Your pediatrician will discuss your concerns with you and evaluate your child to see if there could be any other cause

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for these symptoms. At this point, if your child’s pediatrician agrees that it is possible your child has sleep apnea, then they’ll likely refer you and your child to a sleep specialist.

Diagnosing Infant Sleep Apnea

Scheduling an appointment with an accredited sleep disorder center will help you on your journey through diagnosis and treatment for your child’s sleep apnea. It is best if you can find a sleep disorder center that has specializes in children’s sleeping disorders, but at the very least you should seek out an establishment that has experience with children and infants with sleep apnea.

During your initial appointment at the sleep disorder center, a specialist will review your child’s history along with their symptoms. You’ll want to speak with the doctor and let them know if your infant was born prematurely or if they were full term. They may also ask for your child’s birthweight. This is a good time to mention any other complications that you or your baby may have experienced before, during, or after delivery. Be as clear as possible when providing this information as the pieces will help construct a full picture for the doctor. Also include which sleep apnea symptoms have appeared in your child and when you first started noticing them.

From there, if the doctor is concerned that your child may indeed have infant sleep apnea, they will then schedule an overnight sleep study for you and your infant. This sleep study is also referred to as a polysomnogram and is currently the best way to evaluate the sleep of your infant. The polysomnogram charts your child’s heartbeat, breathing, and brain waves while they sleep. The test will also record their arm and leg movements. You and your child will spend the night at the sleep center to undergo this testing.

The results of the study will build a picture of what is causing the breathing problem for your infant along with the severity of the problem. It will also allow your doctor to create a treatment plan for your infant’s unique case of sleep apnea. The study could also provide insight into other issues that may be causing your child to have the symptoms that they are displaying. This could include revealing that your child has a different sleep disorder, a medical condition, or a mental health disorder.

Treating Infant Sleep Apnea

If the data collected from the sleep study indicates that your child does have sleep apnea, then your doctor will work with you to develop the best treatment plan for your infant. Treatment options can vary from case to case but there are treatments that seem to be more effective than others.

Many infants with sleep apnea will need to use a machine while they sleep to provide support. Your child’s doctor may also recommend medications to help with the condition. It’s important to understand that both of these options are generally short term treatment options due to the fact that in most cases, the sleep apnea resolves itself as the child grows and their brain and body mature. In fact, most infants outgrow their symptoms by the time they reach 40 weeks post-conception. However, if your child was born prior to 28 weeks post-conception, their sleep apnea may take longer to outgrow.

Long-term problems are rare for children who have infant sleep apnea. In cases where long term problems did present themselves it was most often in cases where infants needed frequent resuscitation or had other health problems from other conditions. Due to the thorough nature of the test and the ability for the doctor to collect data that could lead to a secondary diagnosis, your child may also be treated for any other medical conditions that they are diagnosed with that could potentially cause or worsen their case of infant sleep apnea.

As doctors continue to learn more about sleep apnea and the causes and treatments, they become better equipped to provide guidance for those who have infants who suffer from the sleeping disorder. It is now being realized that sleep apnea is far more common than we previously realized, especially in premature infants who now have a greater chance of survival due to advances in medical technology.

If you have any questions about infant sleep apnea, please contact Mark Levy DDS at (614) 777-7350.