Sleep Apnea

There’s nothing like watching your child sleeping or the quiet evening that follows it. How idyllic is it if those little cherubs are snorting, snoring, gasping and flip-flopping all night long? While snoring can be very common in children, it’s often not an issue as it can be caused by factors such as colds and allergies and is usually outgrown. However, when snoring is caused by sleep apnea, then it’s time to get your child tested. Sleep apnea can manifest in three different forms – central, mixed and obstructive. Obstructive is the most common in children 2-8 years old. Sleep Apnea occurs when the person involuntarily stops breathing up to a hundred times during the night and sometimes for up to a minute at a time. While this breathing disruption may not wake up the sleeper completely, it does disrupt their regular sleep patterns. Many children outgrow snoring and even the sleep apnea but as it is so disruptive to their sleep it translates to problems in their waking lives. These kids have a hard time focusing and concentrating. They may be tired, fatigued and sleepy throughout the day and exhibit behavioral and learning problems. Associations between sleep apnea and poor memory; poor judgment; ADHD and childhood obesity have been found.

To determine if your child has Sleep Apnea, you’ll need to set up a sleep test at a sleep center in which your child will be monitored for about 6 hours of sleep. From this data, appropriate treatment can be determined which could range from weight loss to nasal decongestant to breathing masks to surgery. If you suspect your child has sleep apnea, there are some home tests that can indicate if you should seek professional help.