Pacifier use modifies infant's cardiac autonomic controls during sleep.
OBJECTIVE
The risk for sudden infant death (SIDS) was postulated to decrease with the use of a pacifier and by conditions increasing parasympathetic tonus during sleep. We evaluated the influence of a pacifier on cardiac autonomic controls in healthy infants.


METHODS
Thirty-four healthy infants were studied polygraphically during one night: 17 infants regularly used a pacifier during sleep and 17 never used a pacifier. Thumb users or occasional pacifier users were not included in the study. The infants were recorded at a median age of 10 weeks (range 6-18 weeks). Autonomic nervous system (ANS) was evaluated by spectral analysis of the heart rate (HR). The high frequency component of HR spectral analysis reflected parasympathetic tonus and the low frequency on high frequency ratio corresponded to the sympathovagal balance.


RESULTS
Most infants (63.6%) lost their pacifier within 30 min of falling asleep. Sucking periods were associated with increases in cardiac sympathovagal balance. During non-sucking periods, in both REM and NREM sleep, infants using a pacifier were characterized by lower sympathetic activity and higher parasympathetic tonus compared with non-pacifier users.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of pacifiers modifies cardiac autonomic controls during both sucking and non-sucking sleep periods. Non-nutritive sucking could regulate autonomic control in infants. These findings could be relevant to mechanisms implicated in the occurrence of sudden infant deaths during sleep.
Franco
Patricia
P
Sleep and Development Unit, University Children's Hospital Queen Fabiola, Free University of Brussels, Avenue JJ Crocq 15, 1020 Brussels, Belgium. Patricia.Franco@ulb.ac.be
Chabanski
Sophie
S
Scaillet
Sonia
S
Groswasser
José
J
Kahn
André
A
D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D041361:Pacifiers; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires