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 with videopolysomnograph in the supine and prone position. Between the two positions, there were no significant differences in percentage of active sleep and quiet sleep (QS), the occurrence of arousal, and the incidence of apnea. The first QS after the feeding was longer in the prone position. The sleep position could affect sleep characteristics but not respiratory characteristics in preterm infants.