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Influence of ambient temperature on sleep characteristics and autonomic nervous control in healthy infants
P Franco1, H Szliwowski, M Dramaix
1Pediatric Sleep Unit, Erasmus Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. Patricia.Franco@skynet.be
Insights
Elevated ambient temperatures significantly impact infant sleep, increasing central apneas and decreasing oxygen saturation, especially during REM sleep. These changes affect heart rate and autonomic control in healthy infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Infant Cardiorespiratory Physiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Infant sleep and cardiorespiratory regulation are sensitive to environmental factors.
- Understanding the impact of ambient temperature is crucial for infant well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how ambient temperature influences sleep and cardiorespiratory parameters in healthy infants.
- To assess the relationship between ambient temperature and physiological responses during infant sleep.
Main Methods:
- Polygraphic recordings were conducted on 20 healthy infants (7-18 weeks old) over one night.
- Infants were exposed to three ambient temperatures: 20°C, 25°C, and 30°C.
- Core and ambient temperatures were continuously monitored throughout the sleep study.
Main Results:
- Increased ambient temperatures led to a higher frequency of central apneas during REM sleep.
- Heart rate increased, RR intervals shortened, and parasympathetic activity decreased with rising temperatures in both REM and NREM sleep.
- Oxygen saturation decreased during total sleep time, with more frequent drops associated with central apneas during REM sleep.
Conclusions:
- Ambient temperature significantly affects infant cardiorespiratory parameters and autonomic control, particularly during REM sleep.
- Even mild increases in body temperature due to ambient temperature changes can modify these physiological measures.
- Findings highlight the importance of maintaining optimal ambient temperatures for healthy infant sleep and physiological stability.
Objective:
To evaluate the influence of ambient temperature on infant's sleep and cardiorespiratory parameters during sleep.
Patients And Method:
20 healthy infants with a median age of 11.5 weeks (range 7 to 18 weeks) were recorded polygraphically for one night. They were exposed to 3 different ambient temperatures (20 degrees C-25 degrees C-30 degrees C). Ambient and core temperatures were measured throughout the procedure.
Results:
Influence of ambient temperature was seen in: RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS: The frequency of central apneas increased significantly with increasing temperatures in REM sleep, but not in NREM sleep. HEART RATE (HR) PARAMETERS AND HR SPECTRAL ANALYSIS: Elevation of temperature was characterized by significantly higher basal HR, shorter RR intervals, and lower parasympathetic activity in REM and NREM sleep. SATURATION IN OXYGEN: During total sleep time, rise in temperature induced a decrease in basal oxygen saturation. During REM sleep, a greater frequency of oxygen saturation drops was associated with central apneas. CORE TEMPERATURE: With increasing ambient temperature, the rise of rectal temperature was mild. Despite this lack of significant increase, similar results were found when sleep and cardiorespiratory parameters were evaluated according to rectal temperatures.
Conclusion:
Changes in ambient temperatures associated with mild increases in body temperature significantly modified cardiorespiratory parameters and autonomic controls in healthy infants. The changes associated with increases in temperature were mainly seen during REM sleep.