Snoring in Children
Snoring in Children
Children snoring is normal when they do so infrequently. Children who are between one and nine are known to snore. Studies show that three to twelve percent of them snore. That doesn't necessarily mean it is normal.
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is a serious medical disorder. Constant snoring can be a harbinger of this more serious condition. When snoring is excessively loud with gasping breaks in breathing, it is a sign of sleep apnea. The breaks can be five to thirty seconds or more in duration. When this occurs the child will awken and not get right back to sleep. He or she will awken, change position and go back to sleep. He will begin snoring again after a short while. This is expected to reoccur frequently throughout the night. Parents who have children who snore need to pay attention to their children if they snore to make certain that they do not fall into this category of OSA.
Sympstoms:
• Bad speech - muddled, mumbling speech.
• Slow rate of growth. Labored breathing at night. They eat very slowly because they are not able to chew and breathe at the same time. Because of this they do not receive enough nutrients for normal growth.
• Hyperactivity
• Daytime drowsiness because of lack of sleep at night. Children will act out to stay awake.
• Do poorly in school. Perform poorly at school because they do not get the correct amount of sleep during the night.
If these symptoms become apparent in your child, they need to be evaluated by a a pediatrician.
Sleep apnea can be difficult to diagnose in children because they are happy and alert when seeing the doctor. It would be a good idea to record your child's episodes of sleep apnea so you can present the correct situation to the pediatrician.
However, just because a child snores does not mean he has sleep apnea. Children can snore because of enlarged tonsils or adenoids, obesity, asthma or even a cold or tonsillitis.
Additionally, allergies can cause the linings of the nose to swell. Obviously, the child does not breath normally. And, thus causes snoring. The snoring stops after the allergy attack.
A major caus eof snoring is obesity. Out of obese children twenty to forty percent snore. Fatty tissue around the throat causes narrowing of the airway. Stomach fats also can cause the child's diaphragm to function improperly.
Some children have asthma and this is another cause of snoring. Out of children diagnosed with asthma it was revealed that forty percent snore. Snoring is also attributed to enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Surgery is required to remove tonsils and adenoids but antibiotics are required for tonsillitis or colds.
Deformation of the jaw in the womb causing underdevelopment is also believed to cause snoring. Another theory that causes the child to snore is that nerves and muscles cannot properly control the airway.
