Sleep Like a (Cranky, Fussy, Restless, Irritable) Baby

Great OSA diagram via diagnosingsleepapnea.com

Why is this so important?  Breathing correctly both at night and during the day are vital to health and well-being.  Children with sleep apnea may suffer from/have:

Do you suspect your child might have a breathing problem at night?  Some signs for you to look for:

Hyperextended neck, mouth breathing and flaccid lips, probably snoring, too. 🙁 from sleepapneadisorder.info

• Snoring
• Restless sleeper- changes positions frequently
• Hyper-extending the neck during sleep
• Nocturnal enuresis-bed wetting
• Sleep walking
• Loud gasping respiration, snorts, pauses in breathing
• Paradoxical chest movements– 
• Frequent colds, runny nose or tonsil infections
• Recurring ear infections
• Mouth breathing (both during sleep and/or daytime)
• Behavioral disturbances
• Hyponasal voice (like they alwayshave a cold) /muffled voice
• Allergic shiners (bags under theeyes)
• Tongue thrust
• Abnormal swallowing habits
• Speech problems
• Weak flaccid lips
• Asthma
• Low energy levels

Here’s a video of a two year old with many of these signs and symptoms.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends children and adolescents be screened for snoring during their regular physicals, and for those that snore, to be tested for sleep apnea.  While children may snore, they may not be as loud as an adult because they are not as big as an adult, so don’t use snoring loudness to determine if your child has OSA.  Children’s airways are often too narrow due to swollen tonsils and adenoids.

Here’s another list of signs your dental hygienist and dentist can also be on the lookout for: