Identifying and solving insomnia in infants

Published: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 2:30 am

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Nobody knows why we sleep but it seems to be a necessary aspect of higher evolved life forms. Ask any parent. The sleep of infants is different than that of adults. Knowing that the process of sleep goes through developmental stages helps to know if there is a sleep disorder and helps guide the infant into a healthy day-night rhythm. Infants have no circadian rhythm and take frequent naps during the 24-hour day. The babys circadian rhythm aligns with the solar day over the first several months and is usually well established by 6 months of age. Knowing the developmental changes in sleep patterns helps determine if there is a sleep disorder.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has a classification of 6 major categories of sleep disorders. To help with the correct assessment of a sleep disorder there are various tests used. The most common is polysomnography (better known as a sleep study). This test may use sensors for airflow through the mouth and nose, pulse rate, EKGs, EEGs, limb movements and sleep-related breathing. As can be imagined these tests are hard to accomplish on preschool children and those children with developmental disorders. Because of this difficulty, other tools such as sleep logs and actigraphy (a wristwatch-like device that measures body movements and ambient light) help determine sleep-wake patterns.
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Sally Robinson
is a clinical professor of pediatrics at UTMB Childrens Hospital. This column isnt intended to replace the advice of your childs physician.
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