Most children snore from time to time, especially if they have a cold or stuffy nose. It’s estimated that up to 20% of young children snore frequently, and about 10% snore every night. Snoring can run the gamut from minor, harmless noisy breathing to a symptom of a health problem that needs to be addressed. For about 2-3% of children, snoring is an indication of a sleep disorder or a breathing problem that requires medical attention.
If your child is a very restless, noisy sleeper, breathes through his mouth, and snores or snorts loudly, he may be suffering from a sleep condition called sleep apnea. “Apnea” means “absence of breath.” The most disturbing symptom of this sleep disorder is that the sleeper stops breathing for up to 30 seconds, occasionally longer, usually followed a noisy intake of breath. This is very frightening for a parent to witness, and should be taken very seriously, but in general, it is not life threatening and can be treated. The main causes of sleep apnea include a narrow throat or airway, enlarged tonsils or lymph nodes, obesity, and facial abnormalities.
It is not common with every child who snores has sleep apnea. Generally, however, if snoring is loud or is combined with other symptoms, apnea could be the problem. Conversely, not all children with narrow airways, enlarged tonsils, or excess weight have sleep apnea.
Apnea can cause significant sleep deprivation and compound other sleep difficulties. Continued untreated apnea can cause heart problems, high blood pressure, slowed growth, hyperactive behavior, bedwetting, and learning disabilities.
The most common remedy for childhood sleep apnea is the removal or reduction of the tonsils and/or adenoids. Other common treatments are enlarging the air passage, holding the passage open during sleep, or (when the condition is caused by obesity) weight loss.