Sleep Apnea In Infants: Risks, Symptoms and Treatments

Is it normal when baby snores or stops breathing for a while when asleep? Sleep apnea in infants can be serious, even fatal: we should know the risks, recognise the symptoms and find the right treatments for sleep apnea in babies.

Central sleep apnea (breathing pauses due to brain signal failure) is the most common type of sleep apnea in infants below 1 year old. When baby is under 6 months old, part of her normal breathing pattern is to pause breathing from time to time. Up to 15-20 seconds is said to be normal.

When your baby stops breathing for 20 seconds or more it is time for action: consult your doctor. Other sleep apnea signs include gasping for breath after the pause and snoring. Some babies will turn blue-ish.

On the one hand, it is good to know that there is no need to worry when your baby stops breathing for a short while. But on the other hand, there's the risk of leaving sleep apnea in babies undiagnosed all too often.

Who is at Risk?

All babies can suffer from the sleep apnea condition. However, there is an increased risk if your baby:

• is premature
• has Down syndrome
• is overweight
• has a birth defect
• has any condition that disturbs breathing (airway blockage, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, ...)
• has reflux (gastrointestinal reflux)

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Can sleep apnea cause death?

When baby stops breathing while asleep, the amount of oxygen in her blood goes down. Also her heart rate can drop dramatically. All depends on how baby's body reacts to a breathing pause, and how she recovers from it.

In bad cases, an Apparent Life Threatening Event (ALTE) may occur. This is when a sleep apnea baby survives a serious breathing pause. After an ALTE of this kind, a monitor is usually prescribed to help prevent future life threatening events.

The decreased oxygen levels and heart rate may also cause long term problems.

Although some children who suffered from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had previously suffered from sleep apnea, no definite proof of a link between sleep apnea in infants and SIDS has been shown^[1].

Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea in Infants

When you suspect your baby may have sleep apnea, your doctor will do a general physical examination. He will check heart rate and breathing and also measure the amount of oxygen in baby's blood.

Then ideally a pediatric sleep apnea specialist, in a pediatric sleep center, will suggest taking polysomnograms, either in the sleep lab or at home.

Overnight, a polysomnography monitors sounds (like snoring and gasping for breath) but also breathing, brain waves, muscle tension and oxygen levels.

Treatments and Sleep Apnea Solutions

Monitoring is the most commonly prescribed treatment for sleep apnea in babies. A sleep apnea monitor then records breathing rate and heart rate and warns you when dangerous levels are reached.

In some cases, sleep apnea medication is suggested to avoid the brain signal failures that cause the apnea breathing pauses.

Further details on the Sleep Apnea Solutions page.

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