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Review
. 2025 Jun 30;12(7):869.
doi: 10.3390/children12070869.

Sleep Disorders in Children with Rett Syndrome

Christopher Harner  1 , Thomas A Gaffey  2 , Shannon S Sullivan  3 , Manisha Witmans  4 , Lourdes M DelRosso  5 , Mary Anne Tablizo  3   5
Affiliations
Review

Sleep Disorders in Children with Rett Syndrome

Christopher Harner et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder marked by neurological regression, autonomic dysfunction, seizures, and significant sleep and breathing abnormalities. About 80% of affected individuals, especially young children, experience sleep disturbances such as insomnia, sleep-disordered breathing, nocturnal vocalizations, bruxism, and seizures. Breathing irregularities during sleep-like apnea, alternating hyperventilation, and hypoventilation-are common, with both obstructive and central sleep apnea identified through polysomnography. This review focuses on the prevalent sleep disorders in children with Rett syndrome and highlights current recommendations for the management of sleep disorders.

Keywords: Rett syndrome; neurodevelopmental disorder; sleep disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sleep-disordered breathing in RTT [35]. Polysomnography studies on RTT have shown both obstructive (B) and central sleep apnea (A) with associated hypoxia [35].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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