Compared to full term , premature infants exhibit significant differences in sleep structure , which mainly include differences in electroencephalographic spectral values , in total sleep time and in arousal threshold .
Furthermore , prematurity seems to be a risk factor of sleep breathing disorders in childhood and adolescence .
Conclusions The alterations in sleep patterns are an outcome of prematurity ( immaturity of nervous system ) as well as of postnatal factors and comorbidities .
Sleep problems in this population of infants seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle of impaired neurodevelopment .
Background Sleep undergoes changes from birth to adulthood , while sleep disorders are associated with various cognitive deficiencies in childhood .
In parallel , prematurity is known to predispose to poor neurodevelopmental outcomes .
Our aim is to provide literature data about factors influencing sleep in the premature infants and sleep outcomes in this population .
Theophylline affects sleep-wake state development in premature infants.
This study investigated the prolonged effects on state behavior of theophylline administered to infants for apnea of prematurity . There were three groups : Four premature infants who had received theophylline in the preterm period , five premature infants who had not received theophylline , and twenty-eight normal fullterm infants . The Theophylline infants had been off the drug for at least one month prior to the beginning of the study . Sleep-wake states were observed in the home for seven-hour periods when all infants were the same corrected ages : two , three , four and five weeks post-term . Data from the portion of the day that the infants were alone were analysed for this study . The state organization of the Theophylline group differed significantly from those of the other groups . They exhibited more non-alert waking activity , more alert , more drowse or transition , and less active sleep than did the Non-Theophylline and Fullterm infants . The state distributions of the latter two groups did not differ . On the basis of similarities between the results of this study and of a previous animal study , it was concluded that theophylline altered the normal development of state organization in premature infants . These effects persisted long after the drug had cleared the body
Compared to full term , premature infants exhibit significant differences in sleep structure , which mainly include differences in electroencephalographic spectral values , in total sleep time and in arousal threshold .
Furthermore , prematurity seems to be a risk factor of sleep breathing disorders in childhood and adolescence .
Conclusions The alterations in sleep patterns are an outcome of prematurity ( immaturity of nervous system ) as well as of postnatal factors and comorbidities .
Sleep problems in this population of infants seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle of impaired neurodevelopment .
Background Sleep undergoes changes from birth to adulthood , while sleep disorders are associated with various cognitive deficiencies in childhood .
In parallel , prematurity is known to predispose to poor neurodevelopmental outcomes .
Our aim is to provide literature data about factors influencing sleep in the premature infants and sleep outcomes in this population .