Children and adolescents require more resting time than adults so their bodies can develop and function at their best. But like most grown-ups, those who are 0-18 years old are also susceptible to conditions that affect their quality of sleep.
Kids with health conditions, such as asthma, obesity, and a deviated septum, are more likely to have sleeping problems. Multiple studies have shown that these sleep disorders in children can result in difficulties in academic, behavioral, social, and physical development. Some common conditions that impede a child’s ability to get proper rest are:
Everyday habits and existing medical conditions can become the reason why kids have trouble sleeping. If done routinely, watching videos, playing games, eating sugary food before bedtime, and staying up late can affect a young mind’s ability to calm down for sleep.
Stress can trigger insomnia, especially for school-aged kids that experience academic pressure, bullying, and family issues. Sleepless nights are also typical for those with health concerns like allergies, restless leg syndrome (RLS), and teens going through hormonal changes in puberty.
When a person’s airway is obstructed, it can cause a vibration in the back of the throat that sounds like heavy mouth-breathing combined with snorting and grumbling. Even though sometimes harmless in most adults, snoring in children almost always suggests an underlying health issue.
Young ones who struggle with colds, allergies, asthma, and obesity tend to snore because these conditions primarily affect air passage through swollen tonsils or inflamed sinuses. Children with respiratory difficulties because of second-hand smoke and contaminated air are also at high risk for mouth breathing and snoring.
OSA poses a more serious medical concern among pediatric sleep disorders because of how it restricts breathing at night. For a kid with OSA, the soft tissues of the throat relax and congest the upper airway causing abrupt awakenings resulting in little to no significant rest.
OSA in children also causes a drop in oxygen levels in the body and can manifest in behavioral and developmental issues, like lack of concentration and temper tantrums. Kids with OSA may also show signs like frequent snoring, mouth breathing, morning headaches, lethargy, and being over or underweight.
At Sleep Better Wisconsin, we offer an alternative to powerful drugs often prescribed to treat sleep disorders in children. Consult with us and learn more about The HealthyStart® System, an oral appliance therapy designed for kids.
