During sleep there is a considerable decrease in muscle tone, which affects the airway and breathing. Many of these children have little difficulty breathing when awake; however, with decreased muscle tone during sleep, the airway becomes smaller, and the tonsils and adenoids block the airway.
Usually it is caused by infections, chronic illness or a blocked airway. A child who was premature at birth or has been in the hospital for respiratory problems may be at greater risk.
Make an appointment with your baby's doctor if your baby's breathing pauses often or if they stop breathing for 20 seconds or more, or if you hear your baby gasp (or choke, snore, cough, or snort) in their sleep. These may all be signs of apnea.
Noisy breathing can come from the nose or from an open mouth. It can be worse when your child is sleeping on their back. If you notice snoring or noisy breathing often during your child's sleep, talk to your family doctor. It might be a sign of a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
The best default position for your baby to be in when they have a cold is upright. This helps for congestion to clear and for breathing to become easier. And, most importantly, it helps them get that vital rest they need so much.
Hold your baby upright
Wondering what's the best position to sleep with a stuffy nose? Use a baby carrier/wrap to help keep your infant upright as you go about your day. This position might help your baby's stuffy nose. Remember that you will have to lie your baby down on a flat mattress while putting them to sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder. It causes you to repeatedly stop and start breathing while you sleep. There are several types of sleep apnea, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea.
Tight breathing so that your child can barely speak or cry. Ribs are pulling in with each breath (called retractions). Breathing has become noisy (such as wheezing). Breathing is much faster than normal.
The peak incidence of SIDS occurs between 1 – 4 months of age; 90% of cases occur before 6 months of age. Babies continue to be at risk for SIDS up to 12 months.
Infants who were found apparently dead and who required vigorous stimulation or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive them were said to have near-miss SIDS. The most common finding was apnea, often with pallor.
If a baby is breathing stale air and not getting enough oxygen, the brain usually triggers the baby to wake up and cry to get more oxygen.
The sleep-related swallowing and choking syndrome is described as an occult cause of insomnia with inadequate swallowing during sleep, resulting in aspiration of saliva, coughing, and choking [2]. The condition is intermittently associated with brief arousals or awakenings.
During sleep, the airways tend to narrow, which may cause increased airflow resistance. This may trigger nighttime coughing, which can cause more tightening of the airways. Increased drainage from your sinuses can also trigger asthma in highly sensitive airways.
The first stage of sleep apnea is benign snoring. Benign snoring is often harmless, but it can be an indication that sleep apnea will develop in the future. Benign snoring should be monitored, making sure the condition does not become consistent, very loud, or start disrupting sleep.
Tests to detect sleep apnea include: Nocturnal polysomnography. During this test, you're hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.
Whether you realize it or not, if you have mild sleep apnea your sleep is being interrupted constantly throughout the night. That often results in feeling sleepy during the day. This feeling of sleepiness can also seem like a lack of energy or general drowsiness.
What causes nighttime nasal congestion in children? Children and infants have narrower nasal passageways than adults, making them more susceptible to nighttime congestion caused by inflammation or excess mucus.
If your baby has nasal congestion, use a saline spray or saline drops to moisten each nostril, and then use a bulb syringe to gently suction out the mucus. Do this every few hours to help alleviate discomfort, especially 15 to 20 minutes before feeding and bedtime.