Different Types of Sleep Disorders in Babies
Parasomnias are the most common type of sleep disorders in babies, and are characterized by abnormal polysomnography. These are usually episodic in nature and for the most part are a reflection of the immature central nervous system. Parasomnias can even be passed on through genes, and as a group, these disorders are paroxysmal, as in they are predictable in their appearance in the sleep cycle, nonresponsive to environmental manipulation, and are characterized by retrograde amnesia.
Infants go through a complete sleep cycle about every hour, which means that they are in incredibly light sleep, and this explains why they usually wake up many times during a night. Whereas with a newborn you could find them sleeping for different lengths at various times of day, by the time a child is four months old, they will probably be sleeping around six to eight hours a night. Usually by the time they are six months old, they will sleep around 10 to 12 hours a night.
There is also the matter with babies who experience insufficient breathing during sleep, which can result in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. The syndrome refers to any sudden and unexplained death of an otherwise apparently healthy infant, who is aged anywhere between newborn to one year. It is responsible for roughly 50 deaths per 100,000 births in the United States; as frightening as SIDS is, it’s responsible for far fewer deaths than those related to congenital disorders or disorders related to short gestation.
Some of the prenatal risks for SIDS include: Inadequate prenatal care, insufficient prenatal nutrition, smoking, use of heroin, teenage pregnancy, and less than a one year interval between subsequent births. Some of the postnatal risks for SIDS are: Low birth weight, exposure to tobacco smoke, laying an infant to sleep on his or her stomach, failure to breastfeed, excess clothing and overheating, excess bedding and stuffed animals, gender — SIDS occurs more frequently in males — and age; incidence rises from zero at birth, is highest between two to four months and goes towards zero at one year of age.
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What are the most common types of sleep disorders in babies?
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The most common type is parasomnias — a group that includes sleep terrors, sleepwalking (somnambulism), and bedwetting (enuresis). These are linked to central nervous system immaturity, which means most babies naturally outgrow them. Behavioral sleep problems, where a baby has not yet learned to fall back asleep on their own, are the other major category. Both types look very different in babies than they do in adults, so it helps to know what you’re watching for.
Why does my baby wake up so many times at night?
It’s largely a matter of sleep-cycle length. Babies complete a full sleep cycle roughly every hour, which puts them in a very light stage of sleep much more often than adults. That light sleep makes it easy for them to wake. As their nervous system matures, sleep cycles lengthen and nighttime waking naturally decreases — most babies settle into six to eight hours a night by around four months, and ten to twelve hours by six months.
Can sleep disorders in babies be genetic?
Parasomnias in particular can run in families. If one or both parents experienced sleep terrors, sleepwalking, or bedwetting as children, their baby may be more prone to these as well. That said, most parasomnias in babies are considered a normal sign of an immature central nervous system rather than a serious condition, and the vast majority resolve on their own as the child grows.
What are the risk factors for SIDS related to sleep?
SIDS risk is higher in the first four months of life and is linked to several postnatal factors: placing a baby to sleep on their stomach, exposure to tobacco smoke, overheating from excess clothing or bedding, too many stuffed animals in the sleep space, and low birth weight. Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk. If you have concerns about your baby’s breathing during sleep, talk with your pediatrician right away.
An interesting, informative and helpful perspective on a complex and not-well-understood disorder. Thanks for this blog.