Sleep Apnea In Children – Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

When you think of sleep apnea, you might be thinking only of large adult males, but there can be sleep apnea in children and it isn’t nearly as rare as you might think. Usually, this occurs in children who are between the ages of three to six and it can be just as frightening in children as it is in adults. When it is left undiagnosed and untreated, these children can suffer from learning disabilities, poor performance in school and mood and behavior problems. Children who suffer with this condition may also have trouble interacting with other students and experience delays in development. Some children with this condition also experience high blood pressure and heart problems.

The cause of sleep apnea in children usually has to do with enlarged tonsils and adenoids which can sometimes be infected. For other children, the causes of this sleeping disorder have more to do with the structure of the face that causes the airway to become narrow. Some children are born with larger tongues than others and smaller throat openings. Sometimes, children who suffer with sleep apnea have problems such as Down Syndrome and have poor muscle tone in their nose, jaw and mouth.

Once in a while, sleep apnea in children can be caused from such problems as tumors which may be blocking the airway and reducing the muscle tone of the throat. Rarely, obesity in children has been shown to be a cause of sleep apnea, as well.

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea in children include loud snoring, however, it’s important for parents to look for other symptoms because lots of children snore. Look for problems such as being a mouth breather, wetting the bed, sleeping in strange positions, sweating while sleeping, extreme tiredness during the day, inability to pay attention, feelings of aggression in children and overall behavior problems. Some of these children may not do well in school or have learning problems and be small for their age.

Children with sleep apnea tend to be thinner and may even lose weight. The reason for this is due to the obstruction in the airway which could be making eating difficult. Also, children with sleep apnea have abnormal breathing patterns, so it is likely that they burn calories at a higher rate.

Often, children with sleep apnea can have their tonsils and adenoids removed and find that the symptoms disappear completely after the surgery and this is a common treatment for many sleep apnea in children. Other treatments for this condition include continuous positive airway pressure, which includes the use of a nose mask and a machine to feed the child pressurized air.