When I see a child with sleep problems, the first question I ask is; does your child snore? Many parents are surprised, not knowing the link between snoring and night-waking. Let me explain. Snoring in small children is most commonly caused by swollen tonsils and adenoids. During the child's deep sleep when they are most rested... ...the soft tissue in the throat relaxes and the swollen tonsils and adenoids can obstruct the airway. The sleeping child may temporarily stop breathing (apnoea) and startle awake, sometimes with a shriek or cry. It can be quite confusing as they have been roused from a deep sleep state and can be irritable, disorientated and difficult to calm. Some parents confuse this with the dream state called a night-terror or night mare.
There are other children who's swollen airways causes them to have more laboured breathing - it may be noisy, heavy, mouth-breathing - causing them to sleep in a restless way, but not fully waking up. This child often rises in the morning grumpy and unrefreshed as they have not experienced enough uninterrupted deep sleep - the type of sleep that rests the brain and refreshes their system. As the ear, nose and throat are all connected, tonsil and adenoid infections are often associated with middle ear infections - which is the other common cause for night-waking. I find it heart-breaking to discover children who have endured weeks of crying because of inappropriate sleep management strategies, when the whole time they were suffering a chronic infection that causes them to wake through the night. Parents are not alone in misunderstanding their child's night waking. I have discovered that there are plenty of health professionals that assume that the cause is behavioural and they too forget to ask the vital question - do they snore? Here is a 5 minute audio broadcast by radio national, where a researcher discusses the link between childhood snoring and its link to health, behaviour and school performance problems. Do contact me if you are unsure about your child's sleep patterns and would like some support. Sharon.
4 Comments
Kirra
17/10/2013 09:34:43 am
Hi my daughter has always woken up at least 2 times a night she is 2 next week and snores I have had ngala help me but nothing I have tried a wide range of sleep technics but nothing I have also had her throat checked by gp n nothing. I have asked for a referral to ent specialist but go stated it would be pointless.. I personally think there is a medical reason my dad has sleep apnea also
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23/10/2013 04:10:14 am
Thanks for your comment Kirra. I dont know your daughters full history, but from what you have described, it sounds like your daughter has all the hallmarks of a child with ENT/respiratory problems. The second question I commonly ask after snoring is; do you have any family history of sleep apnoea? And your daughter ticks that box too!
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Kirra
6/11/2013 01:22:42 pm
Hi Sharon thank you for your response.. My father has sleep apnoea but I heard it's not contagious. I have a ent specialist app on the 12th November so excited!! Do you know of any services in perth wa that do sleep monitoring? Thanks again
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8/11/2013 02:34:01 pm
Hi Kirra. Glad to hear you are off to an ENT with your daughter. That didnt take long! When you are at the appointment, Im sure there will be chance to talk about what's causing the snoring, whether its treatable and also whether a sleep study is necessary. Not all snorers have sleep apnoea - so my best advice is to discuss next steps with the specialist. Let me know how you go… Sharon
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