Childhood snoring: Can it impede your kid’s overall development? (2024)

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Childhood snoring: Can it impede your kid’s overall development?

  • 4 mins |
  • Oct 21 2024

16

Snoring in children is often ignored by parents, but urgent medical attention is required if the occurrence is more than three nights a week

  • Written by Asik Banerjee
  • With quotes from Dr Bharath Reddy (pediatric pulmonologist and sleep specialist) and Dr Srikanta TJ (pediatric pulmonologist)
Childhood snoring: Can it impede your kid’s overall development? (1)

For your child’s overall growth and development, a peaceful and non-disrupted slumber is key. Uninterrupted sleep not only involves getting the required number of hours but also depends on the quality of sleep. An often ignored sign that parents must pay attention to is snoring in children. Though we tend to associate it more with adults, the occurrence of childhood snoring is significant and should not be ignored, as it may indicate an underlying health issue that can impede a child’s overall growth.

With its wide-ranging occurrence in adults, especially among the middle-aged and elderly population, its occurrence gets normalized in kids. Dr Bharath Reddy, pediatric pulmonologist, sleep specialist and director of Shishuka Hospital, Bangalore, says, “All types of snoring should be evaluated, and it should not be normalized. As it is getting normalized in adults, parents are also normalizing snoring in children.” He says that snoring is reported among children between three to eight years of age, and if a child is snoring without a cold and cough, and the occurrence is more than three nights a week, then it is considered significant snoring requiring proper evaluation.

Parents should always pay attention to their child’s snoring patterns and any associated symptoms, such as daytime sleepiness or behavioral changes, that may indicate the need for medical intervention to manage their child’s sleep health appropriately.

Dr Srikanta JT, pediatric interventional pulmonologist, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, adds, “If a child frequently wakes up at night or exhibits signs of restless sleep such as tossing and turning, showing excessive daytime drowsiness, irritability or challenges with concentration, it suggests that snoring is hindering the ability to attain deep and uninterrupted rest.”

Why do children snore?

Childhood snoring is a result of any obstruction in the airway passage. Dr Reddy explains, “Anything which obstructs from the nose to the windpipe can cause snoring. The most common causes of snoring in children are adenoid enlargement and swelling of the tonsils.” Other causes may include abnormal nose shape, swelling inside the nose or windpipe, and any congenital abnormalities.

Other key factors that can block the airway during sleep and cause snoring in children are allergies and infections in the respiratory tract.

Dr Srikanta says that it is important to consider physiological and environmental influences while evaluating a child’s snoring. He says, “Allergies and respiratory tract infections may play a significant role leading to nasal congestion that makes breathing difficult.” Obesity is another risk factor that exerts pressure on the airway, increasing the likelihood of snoring. Exposure to passive smoking or allergens can further exacerbate the condition, he added.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring in children

OSA is characterized by multiple episodes of the complete or partial collapse of the upper respiratory tract during sleep, causing a gradual decrease in the blood oxygen level. Due to its presence mostly seen in the elderly, people mostly associate it with old, but children are no exception. As per an article published in Stat Pearls, OSA can have dramatic effects on childhood behavior, neurodevelopment, metabolism and overall health.

Dr Reddy emphasizes the need to conduct sleep studies to ascertain whether snoring is developing into OSA in children. He says, “Enlargement of adenoid due to respiratory problems or infections can develop into OSA. Children who have OSA also develop abnormalities with blood pressure and glucose metabolism as they grow older.”

How does snoring affect overall development in children?

Persistent snoring leads to a deterioration of children’s sleep quality, which is a key aspect of their psychological and physical development.

Interrupted sleep stemming from snoring or OSA can result in chronic tiredness, irritability and challenges with concentration, which can impede a child’s ability to participate in the educational and social environment, says Dr Srikanta. A lack of sleep can intensify anxiety and mood disorders, thus creating a cycle of distress that further deteriorates sleep quality.

How to treat childhood snoring

A sleep study is recommended to ascertain the extent of the sleep disruption caused by snoring. Dr Reddy says that a sleep study will help determine whether the snoring is significant and developing into OSA or not. If snoring is not progressing to OSA, it can be managed with medications. If OSA occurs, it needs to be treated either surgically or with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy.

Dr Srikanta says that once the underlying causes of snoring have been identified, the child needs to make some lifestyle modifications, such as implementing nasal saline sprays to alleviate congestion or utilizing humidifiers to improve air quality. In some cases, medical intervention is required to address the causes that exacerbate snoring.

Takeaways

  • Parents should not normalize snoring in children, as it may be an indicator of an underlying health issue impacting the child’s overall sleep quality and health.
  • Childhood snoring is considered significant if it occurs more than three nights a week without a cough or cold.
  • Snoring in children has multiple causes, ranging from swelling of the adenoids to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

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Childhood snoring: Can it impede your kid’s overall development? (2024)
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