What causes a newborn to breathe heavily while sleeping?
Oct 14, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Xie Zixing
Introduction
Newborns breathing heavily during sleep may be due to physiological factors, such as being overweight or sleeping in an incorrect position, which can obstruct normal breathing. Additionally, heavy breathing during sleep can result from the newborn catching a chill, having a cold or allergies causing adenoid hypertrophy, having a family history of asthma, prolonged exposure to polluted environments triggering asthma, or bacterial and viral infections leading to respiratory tract infections.
Heavy breathing in newborns during sleep may be caused by physiological factors or pathological conditions such as adenoid hypertrophy, asthma, or respiratory tract infections.
1. Physiological factors
The organs of newborns are not yet fully developed, and the nasal cavity is generally underdeveloped and relatively narrow. If a newborn is overweight or sleeps in an incorrect posture, it may easily lead to impaired breathing and result in heavy breathing during sleep.
2. Adenoid hypertrophy
Newborns typically have weak constitutions. Exposure to cold, colds, or allergies can often cause adenoid hypertrophy. In such cases, the newborn's airway may become partially blocked, leading to symptoms such as snoring and coarse breathing.
3. Asthma
If there is a family history of asthma, or if the newborn is exposed for prolonged periods to polluted environments, poor indoor ventilation, or unclean living conditions, they may develop asthma symptoms, resulting in heavy breathing during sleep.
4. Respiratory tract infection
Newborns have relatively weak immune systems and are susceptible to bacterial or viral infections. If a respiratory tract infection occurs, most newborns will experience symptoms such as heavy breathing during sleep, runny nose, or sore throat.
