Sleep Apnea is one of the most prevalent of the Breathing Disorders of sleep. Generally, one out of 25 middle-aged men and one out of 50 middle-aged women have Sleep Apnea but it can also affect children.

What is Sleep Apnea?  It is a common condition characterized by a periodic reduction in or a complete stop of breathing during sleep. This is usually caused by an obstruction blocking the back of the throat so that the air cannot reach your lungs. It can be a frightening experience for a parent to watch their child suffer from these symptoms.

Facts You Need to Know About Childhood Sleep Disorders:

Children can be affected by Sleep Disorders, including those commonly found in adults, such as Snoring, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, and Restless Legs Syndrome.  Children’s Sleep Disorders can affect the child€™s general behaviour which can result in mood swings and general irritability.  Rest is essential to a child€™s growth and development €“ both physically and mentally.  Sleep Apnea in children has been linked to bedwetting, growth problems and even High Blood Pressure. With prolonged periods of insufficient sleep a child€™s attention span will be affected which may result in poor school performance, learning difficulties and has been linked to ADHD. Those who have ADHD and Sleep Disorders are difficult to treat, but when the proper treatment is found, the results can be notable such as improved conduct and decreased irritability. Most children who snore do NOT have Apnea, but a sleep study is the only reliable way to tell for sure.  Children are more likely to have it if their parents or siblings had it as children.

What Can Be Done:

Sleep Specialists have special training in sleep medicine and can help to determine if your child has primary Snoring, Sleep Apnea or another problem. They can then offer you the most appropriate treatment. As with all conditions, it is essential to get the advice of a professional Healthcare provider.

Conclusion:

Children’s Sleep Disorders are often harmful to their development and well being.  Every child needs periods of uninterrupted sleep for optimal growth, but sleep problems are very common – especially among younger children.  Sustained periods of disturbed sleep have enormous impact on the whole family – both on parents’ ability to function during the day and on other children.

The good news is there are many Natural Treatment Solutions for Children’s Sleep Disorders.

Once you have been given a tentative diagnosis of sleep apnea or a similar sleep/breathing disorder, an all-night sleep test should be arranged. Proper testing for sleep disorders is important because several sleep disorders have superficial similarities and might be confused with sleep apnea or be incorrectly diagnosed if testing is not done properly. An incorrect diagnosis, leading to incorrect treatment, can be a serious error. For example, medications that are often prescribed for narcolepsy or insomnia can actually worsen sleep apnea, so a correct diagnosis is very important.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder in which people have irresistible “sleep attacks” at inappropriate times, somewhat as in sleep apnea. However, narcolepsy is a distinct neurologic disorder with its own characteristic symptoms (cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations) not found in sleep apnea.

Insomnia is sometimes confused with sleep apnea. Insomnia has numerous causes, and only a few people who have insomnia also have sleep apnea.

Two other sleep disorders sometimes occur alone or along with sleep apnea. These are periodic limb movement in sleep (PLMS, also called periodic leg movement disorder, PLMD, or nocturnal myoclonus) and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Again, appropriate testing by an experienced sleep disorders specialist will avoid confusing one sleep disorder with another.

An overnight sleep test will:

1. Confirm whether you actually have sleep apnea or another form of sleep-disordered breathing
2. Determine the type of sleep/breathing disorder, which must be known in order to select the appropriate treatment
3. Rule out other sleep disorders

I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. And I’ve had two surgeries to try to correct this problem in the past year with little success. I’ve had my upper and lower jaw broken and moved forward, and my tonsils removed all within a year. I’m not overweight and I eat a very healthy diet with almost no caffeine. I’ve had no improvement with the CPAP machine (which in my opinion is always leaking and waking me up) and have tried 4 different masks so far. After my last surgery, while in the hospital recovering I had continued apnea episodes. Plus, having insomnia has got me so sleep deprived I can’t think straight. I’m scared of getting into relationships because of being tired all the time, and I even blame myself for missing out on most of my son’s life due to this. I’m depressed, can’t work anymore and don’t know what to do? My doctor will not prescribe a sleep medicine for me probably due to the apnea.

Wow, I would’ve really checked into those surgeries before I did anything. Why a doctor would think breaking your jaw would help is beyond me. I have heard of a pallete surgery that works for some, that makes more sense since your soft pallete has something to do with the problem. Tonsils have nothing to do with it either.

I suggest two things; get another doctor and research the pallete surgery thoroughly. Don’t sleep on your back, but on your sides, train yourself to sleep that way, I have and I have a very mild form of apnea.

You should also find a Sleep Center that specializes in this disorder. Also, go to a naturopath to see what natural suppliments can help you sleep that won’t be a problem for the apnea. Good luck, hang in there, and make wise decisions based on your gut and proof that it works.

age 10-

*. my heart would always race for no reason, like if i was eating or trying to go to bed, i could feel it pounding in my chest, thought nothing of it as i was very active as a kid.

age 11:

* first started to get palpilations, where i will get an extreme rumbling sensation in my chest, followed by a 2-3 second pause & irregular beat of stopping and starting, can last for up to an hour of irregular rythm every 10-20 beats, thought nothing of it.

age 12

* fainting episode. my mom was at the store, and i suddenly felt myself as if i was choking and fell to the floor. i can hardly remember it but i am sure i blacked out. when i woke up i felt very cold and tired, until then this has not happened again.

age 13

* sleeping disturbances. when i am sleeping i will be woken up 3-4 times by the sensation of a jolt in my chest, chest pain, night sweating, and feeling suffocated eg. waking up gasping for air

age 14:

* I now experience sharp chest pains on occasion that makes it hurt for me to breathe, lasts for 10 minutes at most.

age 15

* Night sweats and sleeping have gotten much worse. same with the arrythmias. The arrythmias are twice as uncomfortable and occur much more often; often in episodes. I will be in a near-fainting situation whenever this happens

age 16

* Around my eyes are getting darker which I didn’t usually have, even though i sleep as much as the average teenager and don’t suffer from insomnia. I usually sleep well. my fingers and feet are always really cold and blue/pink even if I wear mittens/gloves

* My usual body tempreture dropped from 36.7 to 35.8 in 5 years

16 1/2 – Present

* I’ll wake up gasping for air, as if I’ve been suffocated, confuzed and dizzy, difficult to breathe when I lay on my back, people told me I appear tired or sick, I have a poor appetite and don’t have much motivation to get myself to eat

*I’m always tired

I am always really pale.

I get sick more often than I used to.

I am also more sensitive to cold than I usually was.

What’s happening? I thought nothing of this as a kid! but now I’m really scared. I overheard my mother talk about my Grandma’s heart murmur and the heart history of our family (my Grandpa has Arterial Fibliration or however its spelled.) And my brother is being suspected of having an irregular heartbeat accompanied by chest pain. (he’s 9.)

Could I have a heart problem? My family knows and I am getting checked up about it, but they seem to be ignoring it. I won’t have a heart scan until December, sorry if the detail was a little long but thanks for reading it. Should I wait for my heart scan?
I am 16 5”2 and 110 pounds.
blood pressure is 70/110.

get echo and ecg done