Sleep biological rhythms in normal infants and those at high risk for SIDS

The focus of this study was on daytime and nighttime sleep and wakefulness during the peak age for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), two to four months, to determine whether there are differences between at-risk for SIDS (R) and control (C) infants. Such differences may provide insight on the frequent occurrence of SIDS in the early morning hours, when most babies are asleep. This is the only study in which R and C infants were continuously monitored for long periods of time (24-48 h) and then followed and recorded at monthly intervals until the age of 4-6 months. Data analyses indicate that ultradian REM/NREM cyclicity becomes stabilized into a regular pattern at three months of age. Infants at this age convert from a polyphasic sleep/wakefulness pattern to a circadian one. Among the changes that occur is a lengthening of short sleep periods that consolidate at night and wake periods that consolidate in the daytime. The most striking effects are related to sleep state and vary according to age and sex. The lengthening of single sleep and wakeful periods is coupled with the maturation of the brain. The development of the central nervous system facilitates the synchronization of sleeping patterns with external light input and social entrainment. One or more biological clocks or oscillators may be responsible for these REM/NREM patterns and circadian cycles. These differences during the early morning hours, when the occurrence of SIDS peaks, may have important implications for understanding the pathophysiological mechanism of SIDS.