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Not-So-Silent Night:
Children and Snoring By Carma Haley
So how does snoring cause this alteration in sleep patterns? Sheldon says snoring is "the collapse of the upper airway -- usually the throat -- during respiration at night because of high resistance in the airway." As this resistance can make it difficult for a child to breathe easily during sleep, they may wake up abruptly to catch their breath or in some occurrences, the sound they are actually making when trying to get air -- snoring -- may wake them.
"Two of my three boys have allergies," says Adam Shoemaker, a father of three from Chester, Va. "They have always snored from time to time so I didn't think anything about it. But when the oldest began snoring and waking the other two up, I realized that it wasn't due to the allergies anymore. He would wake himself up, his brothers and at times even me."
There are various causes for snoring or obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Sheldon says the most common cause for snoring in children is large tonsils and adenoids. However, there are other causes or conditions that will result in a child's snoring as well.
"There are a variety of medical conditions that can also attribute to the presence of sleep apnea," says Sheldon. "Snoring is commonly seen in medical conditions where there is decreased muscle tone such as with Down syndrome. It is commonly seen in children whose jaws are too small. Children who have had a repair of a cleft palate, they are prone to sleep apnea. Children with cerebral palsy or with tumors in their head and neck can also be prone to obstructive sleep apnea or snoring. In addition, children who are overweight and have a larger neck circumference may also snore. We see these children more commonly in the referral center because we are a referral center. However, they are nowhere near the most common cause of sleep disorder breathing; tonsils and adenoids are by far the most common cause."
