Is Pediatric Sleep Apnea Affecting Your Child?

Pediatric sleep apnea, to put it in simple words is a sleep disorder that leads children to have breaks in their breathing when they sleep.

There Are Two Types of Sleep Apnea that Affect Children:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Central sleep apnea (central apnea)

Obstructive sleep apnea happens because of a blockage in the back of the throat or nose. The other variety central apnea happens when the part of the brain accountable for breathing doesn’t function correctly. It stops sending the breathing muscles the normal signals to breathe.
So, the primary difference between the two types of apnea is the regularity of snoring. Snoring can happen with central apnea, however, it’s more prominent with obstructive sleep apnea. However, this is because snoring is linked to airway stumbling blocks.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Children

• Noisy snoring
• Coughing while asleep
• Breathing through the mouth
• Pauses in breathing
• Sleep panic
• Bedwetting
• Sleeping in strange positions

Untreated Sleep Apnea in Children: Effects

Sleep apnea if left untreated leads to long periods of disturbed sleep, which results in persistent daytime tiredness. A child with sleep apnea may have trouble paying attention in school. This can lead to learning trouble and poor academic performance.
Some children also build up hyperactivity. This causes them to be misdiagnosed with concentration dearth hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies have shown that sleep-disordered breathing may lead to warning signs like those seen in ADHD.
If you neglect sleep apnea in children they may have trouble blooming socially. In more severe cases, the problem may cause growth delays, cognitive delays, and heart problems. However, the good news is, sleep apnea is properly treated, complications are expected to get better.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea in Children

• Sleep study
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

The Importance of Testing

Enough testing is essential. This is because sleep apnea is sometimes disregarded in children. This can take place when a child doesn’t put on view distinctive symptoms of the disorder.

Treatment for Sleep Apnea in Children

• Lifestyle changes
• Nasal steroids
• Surgery
• Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy
• Oral appliances
• Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation device (NIPPV)

So, sleep apnea in children can present with understated and repeatedly ignored symptoms. Children may struggle in waking in the morning, get more bad-tempered, have problems paying attention in school, or even be overactive during the day. More understated symptoms like restless sleep, morning headaches, sleepwalking, enuresis, and decline in school performance, decreased growth rate may be noticed as well. There could be some more startling enduring effects that may involve changes to the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, several studies confirm the wide range of effects on behavioral, neurologic, and medical changes.

How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed in Children: Dentist Burbank

The dentist would initially gather information from the child and about the child’s sleep habits. He/ she would confirm daytime and nighttime symptoms. The dentist may subsequently carry out a physical examination of the child’s mouth, neck, and throat to look for physical characteristics that add to danger for sleep apnea.
Furthermore, once the initial evaluation indicates sign further testing is conducted. However, the dentist may propose polysomnography, which is a sleep study carried out overnight at a sleep clinic. It is painless and noninvasive.

Burbank Pediatric Sleep Apnea

It is recommended to consult a doctor anytime abnormal sleep symptoms are noticed in children. If your little one is struggling with behavior concerns, it could be helpful to consult a dentist whether a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea may be a contributing factor. Reach us at Mydentistburbank. Call us at 8185782332, and schedule an appointment with Dr. Sahakyan a reputed Dentist in Burbank.