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Sleep in babies born to chronically heroin addicted mothers. A follow up study
F Pinto1, M G Torrioli, G Casella
1Istituto Malattie Nervose e Mentali, Università di Firenze, Italy.
Insights
Newborns addicted to opiates experience significant sleep disturbances, including less quiet sleep and more active sleep, persisting even after withdrawal. These changes may stem from altered central nervous system (CNS) function due to opiate exposure.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal studies
- Neuroscience
- Sleep medicine
Background:
- Opioid addiction affects sleep patterns in adults and animals.
- Sleep alterations are observed in infants born to mothers with opioid addiction.
- These changes persist through the early weeks of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sleep alterations in maternally addicted newborns.
- To track sleep changes during and after the neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Main Methods:
- Studied 13 infants born to opioid-addicted mothers.
- Recorded and scored sleep patterns shortly after birth.
- Repeated sleep recordings 4-5 weeks later, post-abstinence.
Main Results:
- Infants showed a significant decrease in quiet sleep and an increase in active sleep.
- Similar, though less pronounced, sleep alterations were noted in follow-up recordings during the second month of life.
Conclusions:
- Sleep alterations in addicted newborns may be linked to central nervous system (CNS) distress from withdrawal.
- A perturbation of endogenous opiates due to fetal addiction is proposed as a cause for these sleep changes.
Abstract:
The effects of chronic addiction to, and withdrawal from, opiates on sleep have been described in experimental animals, in human adults and infants born to addicted mothers. These sleep alterations are seen through the first weeks of life. Thirteen maternally addicted babies were studied. Sleep samples were recorded and scored within a few days following birth and repeated 4 or 5 weeks later after recovery from the abstinence syndrome. A significant decrease in quiet sleep and increase of active sleep were found. The same alterations, although less marked, were observed in a follow up recording performed during the second month of life. Sleep alterations in addicted newborns could be related to central nervous system (CNS) distress caused by withdrawal. The authors however propose a perturbation of endogenous opiates subsequent to fetal addiction as a cause of sleep alterations.