Sleep study in children

During a sleep study it is checked whether a child has an increased risk of cot death. For this purpose, several parameters (including heart rate, oxygen content, respiratory movements, etc.) are monitored during one night.

A sleep study in infants may be recommended by the treating physician for:

children from a family in which sudden infant death syndrome (cot death) has previously occurred;
prematurely born children;
children who are found to be very pale, grey or weak and need stimulation and intervention from a doctor or emergency team;
children who often find it very difficult to wake up, or look very pale during sleep, or sweat for no other reason.

If the results show an increased risk, a monitor is requested from the AZ St Jan Brugge reference centre. This monitor should be used during every period of sleep to monitor breathing and heart rate.