Sleep disorders in children: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Written by:Sleep disorders in children are problems that prevent a child to have a normal night 's rest, which can affect a child's behavior during the day. They also often present difficulty paying attention and are restless and in severe cases, the disorders can affect even the weight and size. The most common sleep disorder in children include insomnia (lack of sleep) and respiratory problems.
Respiratory disorders in children during sleep
Snoring is the main symptom overnight that may indicate that the child has a respiratory disorder during sleep. Other symptoms you may have are:
- breathlessness
- Apneas (pauses in breathing)
- Restlessness
- awakenings
- inadequate positions, such as head back or fetal position
- Bedwetting
Most children with these disorders have mouth breathing as a result of having vegetations (spongy tissue in the upper part of the throat behind the nose) too large. Another common condition is to have large tonsils.
If a child has any of these symptoms, you should take it to the specialist in pediatrics for consideration and make a treatment depending on the diagnosis.
Diagnosis of sleep - disordered breathing in children
The children sleep test aims to differentiate children with simple snoring of those who have sleep apnea. To do this, the child should sleep a day with sensors that detect how breathing and oxygenation of the child during sleep.
Treatment of sleep disorders in children
In children with mild sleep apnea, proper treatment is through anti-inflammatory, whereas if apnea is moderate or severe, you should remove the tonsils and adenoids.
With the right treatment depending on each case, most children have a significant improvement in symptoms during sleep, allowing them to return to have a restful sleep.
