Sleep is a critical determinant of health. As a child develops from infancy through adolescence,
important changes in respiratory physiology occur. Maturational changes of breathing during sleep
contribute to the unique features of childhood sleep disorders. The clinician’s ability to evaluate common
disorders related to sleep in children, including apnea of prematurity, sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS), apparent life threatening events (ALTE), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing relies on an understanding of normal patterns of breathing during sleep across the ages. The purpose of this article is to review respiratory physiology during sleep throughout childhood.