Deal with Sleep Apnea in Children

It is normal for a child to snore occasionally. However, if your child takes abnormally long pauses in breathing and fights for breath then chances are he might be suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea in children is not uncommon. It is a potentially life threatening condition and requires proper medical attention.

Untreated sleep apnea in children can lead to developmental problems, learning problems, behavioral problems and in certain cases heart problems too. Disturbed sleep at night causes the child to fall asleep during the day leading to changes in personality, loss of productivity in school, low concentration etc. the child can become frustrated and depressed.

Sleep apnea Symptoms in children:

Symptoms of sleep apnea in children can be

• Loud snoring, snorting, choking, irregular breathing, nightmares, etc. the child will sleep with his mouth open.
• Occasional wake up due to dry throat.
• Sleeping in strange positions
• Losing or gaining too much weight.
• The behavior will be aggressive and unpredictable.
• He will have trouble getting up in the morning.
• He will be tired, groggy and disoriented.

Causes, diagnosis and consequences:

Sleep apnea in children is caused by any anomaly of the upper airway. It can be due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids. It can be due to hypothyroidism or Down syndrome. If your child shows any of the symptoms you must take him to a doctor.

The doctor will conduct a sleep test called polysomnography. An overnight polysomnography test involves monitoring the heart, the brain, eye movement, breathing pattern, muscle tension, etc. there is also a home monitoring test kit. A trained technician will hook up your child to all the electrodes and will tell you how to record your child’s sleeping pattern.
The diagnosis of sleep apnea in children is based on the evidence of big tonsils and adenoids and mouth breathing. So the treatment of usually involves simply removing tonsils and adenoids. If removing them doesn’t cure the child then it is treated with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or a BiLPAP (Bi Level Positive Airway Pressure). These machines blow air into the nostrils at a regulated rate to prevent the airway from closing. The polysomnography test determines how much air should be blown into the nostrils.

Sleep apnea in children can cause lots of complications including poor growth pattern, changes in behavior, high blood pressure, heart and lung problems. Sleep problems in general cause the child to do poorly at school. It is important to get the child tested and treated for sleep apnea.