What is Sleep Apnea in Children?

Sleep apnea is a medical condition where you stop breathing many times throughout the night and, in consequence, momentarily wake up to begin breathing again. Symptoms of sleep apnea in children are also the same as adults, though you might describe some of the symptoms more in child-like terms:

• Wake up throughout the night
• Loud snoring
• Excessive daytime tiredness
• Less  capable of managing anxiety and stress
• "Acting out"
• Chronic "fussiness"

For children some of their symptoms are very similar to those seen in adults:

• Decreased performance in nearly every area of life
• Increased stress, anxiety, and rates of depression
• Increased risk of numerous medical problems

Why Sleep Apnea in Children is Harder to Recognize

That being said, sleep apnea in children may be difficult to identify outside of a formal diagnosis at a sleep center for several reasons:

• Children may be less apt than adults to reports signs of sleep apnea
• You are unable to observe their behavior because they are most likely at school all day. 
• We tend to not think of children having nighttime sleep-related problems
• You are unlikely to be with your child during the night when they wake up or snore due to sleep apnea
• Symptoms of sleep apnea overlap with many other common childhood behavioral symptoms, such as ADD

What Causes Sleep Apnea in Children

Obstructive sleep apnea in children has the same causes as adults, an obstruction in the back of the throat that causes the child to stop breathing.

Likely, this is due to the throat muscles in the back of the throat relaxing. When this happens, the back of the throat/tongue/tonsils are pressed against the roof of the mouth when they breath in.

This either fully or mostly obstructs your child's ability to breath. After a while (usually 10-20 seconds) they will rouse and start breathing again. They won't remember rousing in the morning, but they will certainly lose a lot of sleep because of it.

This choke/wake cycle can happen anywhere from 5 (mild) to 30 (severe) times per hour.

What are Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Children

In addition to the aforementioned symptoms, additional symptoms you may notice include: 

• Behavioral problems in school
• Trouble paying attention or keeping focus in school
• Chronic melt downs or irritability that you feel is uncharacteristic
• Fussiness more common than contentedness
• Clumsiness
• Complaining of headaches in the morning
• Really hard time waking up in the morning
• Falling asleep at school
• Excessive tiredness in the evenings, such as during dinner
• Other behavior problems you notice or your child's teacher notice

This happens because children with sleep apnea become sleep deprived, and don't even get close to the amount of sleep they need for healthy functioning.

How is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed and Treated

Sleep apnea in children is diagnosed usually in a similar manner to adults. After noticing some of the symptoms mentioned above, you can consult with their physician who can refer them to a sleep clinic. After your child completes a sleep study, they can receive their diagnosis and begin treatment. 

Treating sleep apnea in children is done through either surgery or a CPAP/BiPAP. In children, surgery can often be the preferred route because it is likely to be more effective than getting your child to wear a CPAP device. CPAP might be a good place to start, and if that fails you can discuss surgery options (again, low-invasive surgery) - your doctor will likely have good advice to give on this topic after examining your child.

If you live in Alaska and are concerned that your child may have sleep apnea, consult with our team to discuss how a sleep consultation and sleep study may provide answers and the start to healing.