Sleepy children links to sleep apnia

Children who are always sleepy, very aggressive, grumpy and always tired may have a sleep disorder. If you throw in

loud snoring into the symptoms, then it could be sleep apnia.

Sleep apnia is a sleep disorder that affects not only adults but also children. Obstructive sleep apnia (OSA) is the most common type on children. It has been linked as a cause of change in behavior and attention problems.

A child with OSA is very hard to diagnose because the symptoms doesn’t show. Some symptoms in adults are easy to see like being overweight and waking up frequently at night. But children don’t show these usual symptoms. Those with down syndrome are at in danger of having OSA and should be watched closely.

Symptoms of OSA in children

• Snoring is the number one symptom of sleep apnia. In children, it is harder to detect because 10-20 percent of them normally snores.
• Those with OSA usually have a hard time gaining or losing weight.
• The child breathes through the mouth than on the nose while sleeping.
• Tonsils are larger than normal.
• The child has a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep.
• The child always feels really tired and sleepy during the day.
• A change in behavior starts including attention deficiency, aggressiveness and being too active.

Diagnosing your child

A pediatric ENT specialist usually looks into a child’s symptoms. The doctor checks for signs of large tonsils or adenoids. If needed, the doctor might recommend a test called polysomnography. This is a sleep study for children that looks into sleep disorders. This is usually done in a sleep clinic. Electrodes are strapped to different points of your body before you sleep. It looks at your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body position, breathing rate and brain waves. It can also monitor movements like eye and muscle activity. This test does not only detect sleep apnia but also sleep disorders like insomnia, narcolepsy and hypersomnia.

Treating your child

Losing weight for children who are heavy can greatly decrease obstructive sleep apnia. Extra weight causes the child’s neck region to enlarge and have excess tissue. The large tissues block the way of the air towards the lungs causing the pauses in breathing.

Surgery to remove enlarged tonsils are common for children with OSA. If your child is not overweight, then your child might have large tonsils and adenoids. This blocks the air passages causing them to snore.

Cpap therapy is also an option. There are cpap masks in small sizes available on the market.