Sleep Test Finds If Your Kid Has Mild Sleep Apnea

Many people think it’s cute when their kids snore – but they actually may not be getting enough sleep. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a common problem in children and can affect behavior and cause other medical problems. The most successful treatment is well known surgical procedure.

Dr. Christopher Murry, an ear, nose and throat specialist recommends a sleep study to determine if kids have obstructive sleep apnea, people who have it stop and start breathing again many times during the night.

For this children would need to spent the night at the Maine Sleep Institute’s sleep lab, located at Maine Medical Center. An overnight sleep test would find out if a kid has mild sleep apnea and it could keep a kid from growing normally.

“If they have disruptive sleep, sleep fragmentation, then they don’t release growth hormones as they should. They may burn acalories at night just from the sleep disorder breathing and arousals at night,” said Dr. Murry.

Thesleep problems also aggravate asthma and reflux problems among kids. Dr. Murry recommends taking out the tonsils and adenoids.

Doctors say tonsillectomies help relieve health problems in up to 70 prercent of children who have sleep disorder problems. They say parents should tell their pediatrician if their child snores or has trouble sleeping at night, so they can be referred to a specialist.