Our observations of reduced fever at 1 month and reduced stuffy nose at 6 months associated with nonprone sleep positions are consistent with this hypothesis, as is the reported observation that adults with upper respiratory tract infections have lower
nasal bacterial counts after lying supine for 1 hour vs lying prone for 1 hour.11 Also, infants sleeping supine swallow
more frequently than infants sleeping prone in response to a pharyngeal fluid stimulus, suggesting
more effective clearing of nasopharyngeal
secretions in the supine position and, hence, less potential for eustachian tube obstruction and fewer ear infections.12
Young puppies can have mild to severe
nasal congestion and may require
more intensive treatment to loosen
nasal secretions and ease breathing.