Does your child get recurrent cold, cough or ear infections?

Does he/she sleep with mouth open, snores or is having breathing difficulty during sleep? If yes, your child may be suffering from enlarged adenoids.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children 

Obstructive sleep apnea affects up to 10% of children. It is a sleep disorder in which breathing is partially or completely blocked repeatedly during sleep. A loud sound is produced during sleep by vibration of respiratory structures when the airway gets obstructed with regular flow of air which is called ‘Snoring’. Sometimes, the airway gets completely blocked and the person temporarily stops breathing experiencing an “obstructive apnea”.

A child may be suffering from OSA but parents might not understand the condition as they are not aware about the same. One should closely observe the habits of their children especially during night with close observation of daytime activities e.g. snoring, hyperactive nature, sleeping with mouth open, dryness of mouth etc. These are signs which mean that a child needs early attention and treatment. OSA in children is usually caused by nasal obstruction due to enlarged turbinate, adenoid and tonsillar hypertrophy and jaw deformity.

Symptoms of OSA in children:

• Mouth Breathing
• Snoring
• Restless Sleep
• Sweating during sleep
• Sleeping in unusual position
• Night terror
• Sleepwalking
• Bedwetting
• Daytime fatigue
• Hyperactive behavior
• Poor concentration