Effects of prone and supine position on sleep characteristics in preterm infants

The purpose of this study was to address the influence of sleep position on sleep characteristics in preterm infants, We studied 16 infants at a mean post-conceptional age of 36.5 weeks. Infants were successfully recorded wit h videopolysomnograph in the supine and prone position. Between the two pos itions, there were no significant differences in percentage of active sleep and quiet sleep (QS), the occurrence of arousal, and the incidence of apne a. The first QS after the feeding was longer in the prone position. The sle ep position could affect sleep characteristics but not respiratory characte ristics in preterm infants.