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Not-So-Silent Night:
Children and Snoring By Carma Haley
The proper diagnosis of a sleep disorder can only be done in a sleep laboratory. Sheldon says there are other means of testing but none that offer a concrete, dependable diagnosis.
"No matter what the other specialists say, there is no other way to clearly diagnose obstructive sleep apnea syndrome except with a sleep study -- an overnight sleep study in a sleep laboratory," says Sheldon. "There is no other way to diagnose it as of yet. There are no screening tests, you cannot diagnose by history and home studies are generally inadequate."
Treatment for snoring or obstructive sleep apnea in children varies depending upon what the determining cause is found to be. The most common cause -- enlarged tonsils and adenoids -- is treated with a simple surgery to remove the cause. Children who snore because they are overweight are usually put on a moderated diet in an attempt to lesson the stress on the throat. Due to the wide variety of causes, treatment for snoring or obstructive sleep apnea must be individualized based on the results of sleep testing.
"There is no one treatment that is used for all cases of OSA just as there is no one antibiotic used for all illnesses," says Sheldon. "Parents need to begin by having their child evaluated by their doctor, get a referral to a sleep clinic and then choose the treatment best suited for their child based on the findings. It is not a difficult disorder to treat, just individualized."
What it all comes down to, Sheldon says, is children need sleep.
"And when something interferes with that needed sleep then it is up to the parents to do all they can to correct whatever problem exists," he says. "Ask any parent and they will tell you that when kids don't sleep well, it is not just their sleep that suffers."
