Snoring in Children
Does your child snore? Here is a great article by Dr. Joseph Rosen, a Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Specialists in Plano, Texas.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Snoring in Children by Joseph B. Rosen, M.D.
Snoring in children is a common problem. It is estimated that 7% of children are habitual snorers.1 Snoring can be harmless, or it can be a sign of underlying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Obstructive sleep apnea is when air cannot easily pass into the lungs while the child sleeps. A child’s airway (nose, mouth, and throat) is like a tube. While the child is awake, muscles hold this tube open. When the child sleeps and the muscles relax, that tube is allowed to partially or completely close. This prevents the air from getting into the lungs. Snoring is the sound of the air trying to get through a partially blocked airway.2
Many conditions can prevent the air from easily passing into the lungs: these include large tonsils or adenoids, a large tongue, abnormalities of the face or jaw, conditions that cause muscle weakness or anything that compresses the airway.
When the air cannot pass through the airway, the heart and the lungs do not get enough oxygen. The brain will recognize this and wake the child up. The muscles will “wake up” and open the airway and the child will take a deep breath. Sometimes the child will wake up enough to open his or her eyes and look around; sometimes he or she will only briefly awaken for a few seconds and won’t even remember waking up the next morning.
Once the child wakes up and opens his or her airway, things temporarily go back to normal. However, as soon as he or she falls back to sleep, the cycle starts all over again. In children with severe OSA, they can awaken literally hundreds of times over the course of the night. This constant awakening prevents the child from reaching the deeper stages of sleep. The deep stages of sleep are when the most restful and refreshing sleep occurs. Children with obstructive sleep apnea may be difficult to get out of bed, wake up feeling unrefreshed or as if they haven’t slept at all.
Read the rest of the article about snoring and apnea in children at http://www.childrenarespecial.com/snoring-in-children-by-joseph-b-rosen-m-d/