What You Should Know About
Sleep Apnea in Children
For about 18 million Americans with sleep apnea, sleep is interrupted by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of brief periods in which the airway becomes blocked. Usually, this repeated blockage partially wakes the person many times during the night, interfering with sleep and leaving the person with a host of daytime problems. Although there is increased recognition that sleep apnea commonly affects adults, children can be affected as well. Unlike adults who usually have a history of loud snoring and daytime sleepiness symptoms of sleep apnea in children may include hyperactivity, poor school performance and learning problems.
Sleep apnea in children is usually caused by enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids. If your child is sleepy during the day or is hyperactive with learning problems, and snores at night, ask your doctor to check for sleep apnea.
Treatment and Tips
Treatment for sleep apnea involves recognition of the problem, reduction of factors that may worsen the problem, and recommendations of specific treatment methods by your doctor. Here are some major elements.
- If your child snores, gasps, or stop breathing during sleep, consider the possibility that he/she could have sleep apnea - especially if he/she is inappropriately sleepy or hyperactive
- If your child is overweight, slimming down may help. Talk to their doctor about an appropriate reduced-calorie diet and exercise program.
- If your child's doctor recommends it, have a sleep study done in a specialized sleep lab. This test will tell you for sure whether he/she has sleep apnea.
- If he/she has sleep apnea, a machine called CPAP that produces continuous pressure inside your airways to help keep them open during sleep may help.
- In children, removal of the tonsils and adenoids may be curative.
Where to Get More Information
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