Luke has just started to sit up when I lie him down for his sleeps, and I often go back in now to find him asleep folded in half, as if he has fallen asleep sitting up and slowly leaned over. I know he is extra flexible due to the DS, but is there any other reason he might be doing this, and do I need to be concerned or not? Any suggestions welcomed :)
3 comments:
In our case, it meant mild sleep apnea. When the airway becomes obstructed they sit up in order to breathe and then fall back to sleep. Goldie has her tonsil and adenoids out in two weeks. I'm interested to see if she stops sitting up in her sleep.
We call that position "The Wallet". It is very common, and, as Brandie says, it can be a signal that he is trying to keep his airway open. If he tends to tilt his head back while sitting it is to keep his tongue or tonsils out of his throat so he can breathe.
Another explanation is that individuals with Ds have different sleep cycles than typical individuals. The excessive movement (restlessness) could be related to the changes in the sleep cycle.
Does he breathe through his mouth when he sleeps?
My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out (at age 10), and that helped some, but she has moderate apnea. She currently uses a cpap machine to stop the apnea, and she sleeps more peacefully.
I was going to suggest sleep apnea too, to get comfortable and to be able to breath easier while sleeping, kids tend to fall asleep seated or propped up in some way.
It's very cute though
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