Your child can be a handful during the day. As you check on them at night, you hear them snore gently with their mouth open. While you may brush it off with a smile or laugh, it could indicate a serious health issue: obstructive sleep apnea.
Isn’t sleep apnea an adult problem? Not necessarily. It can affect children as well, just with slightly different signs. Keep reading to learn how to recognize symptoms of sleep apnea in kids and why you should seek treatment.
How Many Children Have Sleep Apnea?
Unfortunately, sleep apnea in children can often go overlooked and undiagnosed, but researchers estimate that between 7 and 11 percent of kids face sleep disordered breathing night after night.
As with adults, the most common form of sleep apnea in children is obstructive, meaning the airway is temporarily blocked. While snoring does happen more frequently in those with obstructive sleep apnea, a child may have this condition even if they don’t exhibit this indication.
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Kids?
Although some of the same symptoms, such as daytime fatigue and irritability, apply to both childhood as well as adult sleep apnea, these younger patients can also experience similar symptoms to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and can be misdiagnosed. Inability to focus, poor performance in school, social difficulties, and other struggles may be attributed to ADHD instead of the underlying cause of sleep apnea.
In addition to ADHD symptoms, children with sleep apnea often also have an increased risk of being overweight and having higher blood pressure, increasing their risk of a cardiovascular event like a stroke or heart attack in their adult years.
Other symptoms include bedwetting, sleep terrors, and sleeping in odd positions. Growth or cognitive delays also accompany sleep apnea in kids. Needless to say, parents who have kids with sleep apnea can become desperate for answers to these problems.
Does Treatment Really Help?
The good news is that when children with obstructive sleep apnea are properly diagnosed and treated, many see a substantial improvement in their symptoms and quality of life. Depending on the child’s needs and growth, several treatment options may be viable, including CPAP therapy or oral appliance treatment or a combination of the two. A sleep dentist will best be able to prescribe the correct solution for your child in particular.
If your kid has sleep apnea, it is worth treating with a sleep dentist. When your child has more restful, peaceful nights, they (and you) may have healthier, happier days.
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Rodgers has been practicing at Sleep Better Georgia in Dunwoody for more than 20 years. He is a Diplomate of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy and the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. Although he also offers combined therapy, he focuses mostly on oral appliance treatment. To schedule an appointment at his office, call 404-252-1221 or visit the Contact Us page here.