As parents, it is only natural to worry about your child’s health when any new habits and behaviors pop up. But should you be concerned if your child suddenly begins snoring throughout the night? The answer is not as simple as many of us wish it was.
Why Is My Child Snoring?
There are many different reasons why a child may be snoring more than usual ranging from allergies posing little medical concern to potential long-term medical effects. Things like their activity level, sinus health, tonsil size and inflammation level, weight, and proclivity for certain preexisting health conditions can all play a role in a child’s chances of snoring.
The most effective weapon in your arsenal to protect your child is your observational skills. Monitoring your child’s regular sleep patterns to determine if the snoring is happening often throughout the night, if they are gasping for breath at any point, or if the snoring is disrupting their sleep can help you decide whether or not medical treatment is necessary. Sleep issues should never be dismissed out of hand. Sleep is an essential function, especially for developing brains like your child’s. If you notice your child’s demeanor or behavior has changed along with the snoring, you should contact your pediatrician or sleep specialist immediately as it might be a sign of sleep deprivation or a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
What is Snoring?
While we all know what snoring is, it is important to also ask yourself how and why snoring occurs so that you can have a better understanding of what it means if your child is snoring at night.
Snoring is the sound that we make in our sleep whenever fast-moving air passes through relaxed tissue in the throat and causes that tissue to vibrate. The sound may be soft or loud, and it may come in spurts or sound like one long raspy breath. The sound of snoring is likely familiar to you and does not set off any alarms in your mind. This is because almost half of the population of American adults reportedly snore occasionally or often so we have all heard a parent or close friend snoring in their sleep.
Occasional bouts of snoring happen to everyone. Typically this is brought on by something like congestion or allergies. The snoring is typically short-lived and not a major cause for concern. According to the Sleep Foundation, “Infrequent snoring in children is not usually dangerous, but regular or severe snoring that is indicative of sleep-disordered breathing can have significant health consequences.” Regular or severe snoring can be a sign that you have more of a reason to feel concerned. Because children are still growing, they do not have as much excess skin in their throat and are, therefore, less likely to snore. Of course, other aspects of their respiratory system like tonsils, adenoids, seasonal allergies, and chest congestion can trigger snoring without it being a huge problem. To better understand if your child is in any kind of medical danger, it is best to be able to differentiate the different types of snoring and what they might mean for your child.
Primary Snoring
Primary snoring is snoring that is not accompanied by any other problematic medical symptoms. If you do not notice your child waking themselves up as a result of their snoring, gasping for air, tossing and turning all night, or displaying any other kind of disruptive sleep behaviors, chances are your child is experiencing primary snoring.
Within this category of snoring, there are a few places a child’s snoring might be coming from that can help you determine what the main reason for their snoring is:
- Nasal- When a person’s snoring sounds raspy and seems to be coming from their chest or their throat, they are most likely experiencing a type of primary snoring called nasal snoring. In these cases, snoring occurs when a child is sick and something is blocking the nasal passages.
- Mouth- Mouth snorers may also be suffering from a blocked nasal passage or chest congestion. The difference being that instead of continuing to breathe through their nose like they would normally do, they might also be experiencing a stuffy nose and having to breathe through their mouth when they sleep. This snore is typically fairly quiet and regular.
- Tongue- This type of snoring is the most easily identified as its high pitched whistle-like sound is not like other snores. Tongue-based snores are often caused by things like new sleeping positions or swollen lymph nodes. As long as all medical side effects like that are being addressed directly, this kind of snoring is nothing to worry about!
- Throat- Throat snoring is typically the loudest of all primary snores. Throat snores can be caused by inflammation or congestion, like nasal and mouth snores but can also be caused by a number of sleep disorders. If your child’s snores are loud, irregular, and sound like they are coming from deep in their throat, it might be time to take a closer look. Other warning signs are continued snoring without any other obvious signs of sickness and gasping or panting throughout the night. Any of these could be signs of a serious sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and should be checked by a medical professional right away.
Though primary snoring may be the first sign of a deeper-rooted problem, it is not usually anything to worry about. As long as this problem does not persist for longer than a few days and does not become severe enough to wake your child from their sleep, you should have one less thing to worry about.
Be sure to monitor your child’s ongoing sleep behavior, though. Snoring that comes and goes often may also be a sign of a sleep disorder and needs to be addressed by a doctor.
Symptomatic or Secondary Snoring
On the other hand, if you do notice other symptoms of disruptive sleep behaviors such as gasping breaths, frequent movement or waking, sleep walking, or pained facial expressions, it might be time to visit your local sleep medicine specialist. A good indication that your child’s snoring has become a problem is when their snoring has gone from an occasional, short-lived habit. If your child is snoring most nights out of the week or has been consistently snoring for more than a few weeks, there is likely a problem.
The biggest concern with pediatric snoring is that it may be a sign that your child suffers from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep disorder in which patients stop breathing for short episodes throughout the night. While these episodes typically only last a few seconds, they can happen dozens of times every night and cause disrupted or interrupted sleep. If you think your child might have OSA, it is crucial that you seek medical treatment immediately. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to complications affecting a child’s health, as well as their physical, cognitive, and behavioral development. For example, sleep apnea in children can lead to high blood pressure, difficulty concentrating, and hyperactive activity that can be mistakenly diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
In addition to sleep apnea, snoring can be caused by other health issues. These issues include obesity, swollen tonsils or adenoids, asthma, a deviated septum, or poor air quality. A visit with a pediatric sleep specialist and your child’s pediatrician can determine if an underlying health issue is causing the snoring. After your child falls asleep, listen to analyze the snoring. Note how loud it is and if you hear them gasping for air. Also, look at how they are sleeping. Often children who snore will sleep with their mouths open.
Diagnosis And Treatment
Many children struggle with chronic snoring. The key is to address the problem as soon as possible to avoid any other scary issues down the road like cognitive impairment or cardiovascular problems. When you take your child to their pediatrician or a certified sleep medicine specialist, they will likely order a sleep study to check for any number of dangerous sleep disorders and develop a specialized treatment plan to best help relieve their symptoms and address issues directly.
Treatment always depends on the diagnosis and if there are other underlying health problems that need to be addressed. At Gingras Sleep Medicine, here are some of the most common sleep disorder treatments that can help with snoring issues:
- Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy
- CPAP (continuous airway pressure)
- Home Apnea Monitoring (HAM)
- Medication
Gingras Sleep Medicine
If your child exhibits restless sleep, snoring, snorting, and gasping, erratic breathing, or behavioral and attention problems during the day, it might be time to check out Gingras Sleep Medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina!
Dr. Jeannine Gingras of Gingras Sleep Medicine recognizes that children are not simply small adults. They have special sleep challenges and needs. Dr. Gingras is a caring pediatric-trained sleep specialist with multiple board certifications in sleep medicine. She has been treating children and adults with a variety of sleep problems and disorders since 1999. If you believe your child may have pediatric sleep apnea, be sure to seek expert care and treatment so they can start to get the quality, restful sleep they need for healthy development. Schedule an appointment online to meet with Dr. Gingras or call our office at (704) 944-0562.