Snoring does not often come up in health-related conversations among parents of young children. It is typically seen as something cute that happens every once in a while that sparks no cause for concern.
While most cases of snoring are just that, there are times when disrupted breathing at night means something more serious is happening with a child.
A common cold, a respiratory infection, allergies, or even sleep apnea could be the culprit. The latter, sleep apnea, deserves some attention as it is more common than parents think.
Persistent snoring in children occurs between eleven and twelve percent of kids ages one through nine, and it could be a sign of sleep apnea.
The occasional snort or gasp during a night’s rest is not necessarily a reason to run to visit the doctor, but if a child is doing so more than three times each week, it is important for parents to have a medical professional assess the underlying issue.
For parents who are unsure if sleep apnea is a concern for their youngster, here are a few things to know about the condition, warning signs, and options for treatment.
Breaking Down Sleep Apnea in Children
Sleep apnea is most widely known to affect adults, with upwards of 20 million experiencing breathing issues while they sleep throughout the world. But in children, sleep apnea can be just as pressing an issue.
That is because sleep apnea is the process of being unable to breathe during a night’s sleep, either a few times a night or more than one hundred times during sleep.
Breathing is interrupted temporarily, and this causes a child with sleep apnea to wake up as soon as the brain receives a signal that normal breathing is not taking place.
Once enough air is taken in to catch one’s breath, most children fall back asleep fairly quickly. However, untreated sleep apnea can cause a myriad of disorders that can affect the quality of life of a child.
Three broad categories of sleep apnea in children are known at this time, including Obstructive, central, and mixed sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: When a child has obstructive sleep apnea, also referred to as OSA, a partial to a complete blockage of airflow takes place during the night.
The airways are obstructed because the child’s muscles of the throat relax enough to allow the tongue and fatty tissues surrounding the throat to fall back onto the airway. As this happens, breathing is obstructed for a short period of time.
Some children may gasp during the night as the brain receives a signal to wake up, while others may make a choking or snorting sound when they are not breathing correctly during sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of breathing disorder associated with sleep among children, but it is common for the condition to go undiagnosed for some time.
Central Sleep Apnea: Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea occurs where there is a misfire of information between the brain and the respiratory system.
In a child who has central sleep apnea, the same temporary blockage of airflow occurs but due to muscles not working properly in the throat.
Shortness of breath is common among children with this type of sleep apnea, but it can be confused with OSA in some cases. Central sleep apnea is far less common than obstructive sleep apnea in children.
Mixed Sleep Apnea: Some children experience a combination of factors leading to both obstructive and central sleep apnea. The signs and symptoms are the same, but treatment may differ when mixed sleep apnea is the cause.
Warning Signs for Parents
Each type of sleep apnea has similar warning signs of which parents should be aware. The most common include:
- Moving throughout a night’s sleep, or being in abnormal positions with the head tilted back
- Snoring more than three times per week on a consistent basis
- Choking, gasping, or snorting throughout the night or in the morning upon waking up
- Sweating during sleep or frequent bed wetting
- Difficulty waking up in the morning
- Drowsiness throughout the day
- Learning, behavioural or social problems at school
The issues above may indicate that a child is not getting enough restful sleep throughout the night because of sleep apnea.
If these issues are continuous and there are no other obvious reasons behind why they may be occurring, parents are encouraged to visit a specialist to determine if sleep apnea or another sleep disorder is occurring in their child.
Getting the Right Treatment
The good news for parents is that sleep apnea can be treated through a variety of methods, both with the help of doctors and specialists and certain at-home remedies.
However, a specialist firm of solicitors working with ear, nose, and throat cases explains the need for parents to seek out a second or third opinion when sleep apnea is a potential diagnosis.
Other doctors and specialists should be consulted when constant snoring is taking place, especially in cases where invasive surgery is the initial recommendation.
While surgery can be beneficial to some children with sleep apnea, the condition is not always fully treated after the procedure. There are several other treatment options that are less invasive for children to treat the different types of sleep apnea and get them back on the path toward healthy rest.
It is important for parents to understand the prevalence of sleep apnea in children between the ages of one and nine, and do their part to ensure a correct diagnosis is made in a timely fashion once persistent snoring or other warning signs are recognised.
With early intervention and the right guidance from a specialist, sleep apnea can be controlled enough to allow for a healthy childhood.
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