A good night’s sleep is one of the most important developmental issues for children. A solid nine or ten hours of shuteye helps the brain retain what it learns and grow, while providing rest for the rest of the body to recover from your child’s busy day. Unfortunately, estimates suggest that around ten percent of all children snore on a frequent basis.
Snoring is one of the most significant culprits in preventing the deep type of REM sleep that best replenishes the brain. The cause of snoring varies from case to case, with many issues having simple solutions. Sometimes, the cause is a serious medical issues that should be corrected immediately, involving a trip to a specialist.
Causes of Snoring
At its heart, snoring involves sound caused by the vibration created by tissues from the front and rear portions of the throat colliding. Typically, snoring created by a cold, flu or a respiratory infection will go away once the illness has subsided, returning the throat back to normal.
Chronic snoring may be a result of constant inflammation due to allergies, or worse, a serious medical condition that affects the airway. One of these serious conditions, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, results in snoring that’s loud enough to frequently wake children from sleep – not to mention potentially stopping breathing altogether.
In addition to noise rousing your child from sleep, OSAS even restricts the flow of oxygen, which causes the child to snore due to increased efforts of the lungs and throat to breathe.
Consequences of Child Snoring
It’s always annoying as a parent to have to deal with the loud snoring of a family member, but the health consequences that your child suffers through due to snoring can lead to repercussions that last their entire life.
Anytime your child is unable to get proper amounts of sleep, their development suffers in a variety of ways. Cognitively, your child will have greater difficulty succeeding in school and internalizing the lessons learned throughout the day. Physically, a lack of sleep prevents your child from recovering from daytime activities, stunting their physical growth.
Loss of sleep due to snoring is linked to poor memory and concentration, moodiness and reduced impulse control, among other deleterious effects.
What Can Be Done For My Child?
For children who suffer from severe sleep apnea, a procedure to remove the offending tissue that causes vibration in the throat can help reduce snoring. If your child appears to snore because of allergies, getting your kids tested for allergens that irritate the air pathways may help.
Nasal strips that increase the overall flow or air into the lungs may also help prevent your child from struggling to breathe enough air during an episode of snoring.
Ultimately, if you notice that your child suffers from frequent snoring or sleeplessness, contact a doctor or a sleep center is an excellent way to begin the process of helping your child overcome this issue. Visiting a clinic like the Houston Sinus & Allergy Clinic is a great way to start getting your child back to good sleeping health when combating snoring and other sleep quality issues.