WebMD Sleep
Health Topic: Sleep
Video #1: “Kids and Sleep Apnea”
URL- http://www.webmd.com/video/kids-and-sleep-apnea
Alyssa Mitzkat, a six years old girl, suffered Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal episodes of blocked breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.
As the video shows, Cindy, Alyssa’s mother, noticed that her daughter was having a serious sleep problem because in the morning time she didn’t want to wake up. Difficulty getting up in the mornings is one symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Some symptoms of OSA in children are usually associated with running congestion, recurring strep throat infections, breathing thru the mouth, snoring, gasping or choking, sleep disruption and abnormal daytime sleepiness.
The reason of why Alyssa had this syndrome was that her tonsils were so large they were blocking her airway causing her to have very restless sleep. Another factors that may also increase the risk for obstructive sleep apnea are: certain shapes of the palate and jaw, large adenoids, large tongue, narrow airway, nasal obstruction and obesity.
Consequently, Alyssa’s cure for her apnea was having her tonsils removed but it may not work for all individuals. The treatment for obstructive sleep apnea will depend on the factors causing the obstruction. Here are some others treatments that may relieve it:
Weight loss
Managing allergic rhinitis
Nasal steroids
Antibiotics
Removal of the adenoids and tonsils -- as a last resort
Continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP involves using a machine that delivers a stream of compressed air through a nasal mask to the child's airway to keep it open during sleep.
Personally, I believe it is very important to learn about Obstructive Sleep Apnea in children because it can have consequences such as abnormal growth and development, bedwetting,
Video #1: “Kids and Sleep Apnea”
URL- http://www.webmd.com/video/kids-and-sleep-apnea
Alyssa Mitzkat, a six years old girl, suffered Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal episodes of blocked breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.
As the video shows, Cindy, Alyssa’s mother, noticed that her daughter was having a serious sleep problem because in the morning time she didn’t want to wake up. Difficulty getting up in the mornings is one symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Some symptoms of OSA in children are usually associated with running congestion, recurring strep throat infections, breathing thru the mouth, snoring, gasping or choking, sleep disruption and abnormal daytime sleepiness.
The reason of why Alyssa had this syndrome was that her tonsils were so large they were blocking her airway causing her to have very restless sleep. Another factors that may also increase the risk for obstructive sleep apnea are: certain shapes of the palate and jaw, large adenoids, large tongue, narrow airway, nasal obstruction and obesity.
Consequently, Alyssa’s cure for her apnea was having her tonsils removed but it may not work for all individuals. The treatment for obstructive sleep apnea will depend on the factors causing the obstruction. Here are some others treatments that may relieve it:
Weight loss
Managing allergic rhinitis
Nasal steroids
Antibiotics
Removal of the adenoids and tonsils -- as a last resort
Continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP involves using a machine that delivers a stream of compressed air through a nasal mask to the child's airway to keep it open during sleep.
Personally, I believe it is very important to learn about Obstructive Sleep Apnea in children because it can have consequences such as abnormal growth and development, bedwetting,