Concerned About Snoring In Children
There is no doubt about it, a lot of parents get extremely concerned when they hearing snoring in their children. But while there is always the slim chance that something is wrong health wise, most snoring in children is innocent enough and does not need any treatment. A lot of children snore, as it is estimated that up to twelve percent of children who are preschool age snore. For the majority of those children who snore, there is nothing wrong and they are simply experiencing what is called primary snoring.
But there is always that very small group of children, which is said to be about two percent that have a health problem causing the snoring to happen. In these cases, snoring in children is a sign of sleep apnea. This condition is basically causing the child to not breathe properly at night and is one of the main causes for behavior problems in children, as they are not getting proper sleep. So besides the fact that snoring bothers the sleep of others, there are many reasons to pay attention to snoring in children.
Determining The Problem
If your child is suffering from snoring, has abnormal sleep patters, is sleepy during the day, has a short attention span or is showing some behavioral problems then you need to see a doctor about sleep apnea. It is always better to be safe rather then sorry when it comes to snoring in children and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is nothing to be ignored, as it can be extremely dangerous, even fatal. But if diagnosed early and treated properly, sleep apnea can be controlled. There are machines that can be used at night to make sure that the child continues to receive the proper amount of oxygen to get the right amount of rest and to be healthy.
There are current tests that can be performed when there is snoring in children noticed and there are other factors that point to having sleep apnea. The main and most common test is a sleep study, which is conducted at the hospital, and the doctors or specialists watch and monitor your child while they sleep. Through this one night study doctors are able to determine if the snoring in children is innocent or harmful. There is nothing wrong with being concerned and if you feel that your child is in danger, you could also always audio record them while they sleep in order to hear what is really going on.
