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Does My Child Snore Too Much?
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Snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat, causing the tissues to vibrate with each breath, creating hoarse or harsh sounds, notes Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, M.D., clinical director of the UCLA Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. “About 20 percent of healthy children snore occasionally and 7 to 10 percent of children snore every night,” he says. “Snoring usually starts at 2 to 6 years of age, during which time some children’s tonsils and adenoids are enlarged.” Snoring can also occur if the child has a large tongue, low or thick soft palate, or an elongated uvula, the soft tissue that hangs down from the rear portion of the throat.
“Snoring can sometimes be remedied by treating any nasal congestion or obstruction, sleeping on the side for older children, or losing weight if the child is overweight,” advises Dr. Tirakitsoontorn. “But loud and regular nightly snoring could be abnormal in otherwise healthy children and may be a sign of more serious conditions.”
About 2 percent of children snore because they suffer from sleep apnea, a condition that causes pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping, Dr. Tirakitsoontorn explains. The most common type of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), occurs when the airway has collapsed and the lungs do not receive sufficient oxygen. Contributing factors to sleep apnea are obesity, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or the physical structure of the face or jaw, as well as some neurological conditions. The disruptive sleep patterns caused by OSAS can lead to daytime sleepiness, impaired growth, behavioral problems or cardiovascular problems.
Treatment Options
“Parents should seek further evaluation from their physician if they suspect their child has OSAS. An overnight sleep study (nocturnal polysomnography) may also be recommended,” states Dr. Tirakitsoontorn. “Surgical treatment, such as removing the tonsils and adenoids (adenotonsillectomy), is the most commonly performed treatment. In severe cases, children may be treated with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or BiPAP (bi-level positive airway pressure), a machine that blows air into the nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed.
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