Children ’s Hea lth Kids who snore might bring about a giggle in their siblings or classmates but, unfortunately for some kids, snoring indicates a serious health issue. Snoring children may not be getting the oxygen they need for a good night’s sleep or for cognitive development during the day. Side effects of this include: • Irritability • Always being tired • Poor concentration • Poor performance at school • Consistent bed wetting beyond the age of 3 Is you child’s snoring problematic? Snoring every night is abnormal and, in this case, needs to be assessed by an Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) surgeon to identify any accompanying symptoms: • Pause in the breathing whilst asleep • Gasping • Waking tired in the morning • Excessive restlessness during sleep • Night terrors • Sleep apnoea (consistent pauses in breathing throughout the night) What causes snoring? Snoring children have partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep, which creates turbulent airflow and disrupts normal ventilation and sleep. This creates a lack of oxygen, which causes the more serious symptoms of this condition. This condition is now referred to as Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). What causes SDB? While there are a number of causes of SDB, some which are quite rare, the most common cause is tonsil and/or adenoid enlargement. Will SDB affect my child’s behaviour? Your child may experience behavioural changes in the form of: • Increased aggression • Hyperactivity • Signs of depression • Symptoms similar to ADHD • Wetting the bed – up to 50% of children with SDB wet the bed • Poor memory • Poor attention • Poor performance at school What is the treatment for SDB? If your child has SDB, it’s recommended they have an adenotonsillectomy, an operation to remove the adenoids and tonsils. The benefits can be dramatic in improving the child’s life. They may experience: • Increased quality of life • Improvement in behaviour • Improved school performance • Reduction in bed wetting What to do next? If you think your child has SDB, make an appointment to see an ENT surgeon. Along with the referral, it helps to take a video of your child sleeping to show the surgeon the child’s symptoms. pm pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 51
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Five
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