NORMAL SLEEP ARCHITECTURE IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

Because the collection of normative sleep data in the pediatric age gr oup largely depends on technical issues, this article discusses variou s aspects of sleep recordings in infants and children. Polygraphic mon itoring of sleep and waking behavior contributes to a better descripti on of maturational stages in children, from the prenatal period to the end of adolescence. This article reviews the general characteristics of normal children's sleep and the environmental factors that influenc e these maturational processes. The use of polygraphic recordings to i dentify neurological deficits and to predict behavioral and neurologic al outcome in infants and children, however, does not hold great promi se. The importance of polysomnographic evaluation is admitted for some major clinical conditions, such as risks for abnormal breathing or na rcoleptic attacks.