Does your child snore? Or do they wake up feeling groggy and tired? If so, they may have sleep apnea.
Snoring or sleep disordered breathing (SDB) could be a sign of other underlying medical conditions that may require treatment like high blood pressure, delayed or reduced growth, behavioural changes and altered face and jaw growth that can lead to orthodontic problems.
"The biggest challenge for parents is finding a health practitioner to diagnose the issue properly," says Michael Major, orthodontist and director of the Inter-disciplinary Airway Research Clinic (I-ARC) at the University of Alberta. "Most people assume children will outgrow it, but sleep apnea can cause longer-term damage."
The I-ARC is a clinically based multi-disciplinary research and treatment team dedicated to correcting sleep disordered breathing in children. Collaboration between experts in pediatric otolaryngology, pediatric respirology, sleep medicine, maxillofacial radiology, orthodontics and biomechanical engineering work together to help children receive better sleep and, in turn, health.
"Sleep apnea is a disease that requires multiple health practitioners," says Major. "Our treatment plan involves working with all of our specialists."
Major says common symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing include snoring, gasping for breath while sleeping, daytime sleepiness, bed-wetting, behavioural issues and being unable to breathe through the nose.
If you suspect your child may have sleep-disordered breathing, Major says to discuss your concerns immediately with your primary care physician, pediatrician or dentist. Follow these steps to help decrease your child's risk for sleep-disordered breathing:
- If you smoke, stop smoking! Even if you "only smoke outside," the smoke attached to you worsens your child's SDB.
- If you have indoor pets, you must
unfortunately find them new, loving homes. Even mild allergies can worsen your child's SDB. - If your child is overweight, try to help them lose weight through fun physical activities and a healthy diet. Excess body mass can worsen your child's SDB.
- If your child has asthma, follow your doctor's directions precisely. Poorly managed asthma can worsen your child's SDB.