Tonsils and apnea may be problem in children, not attention deficit disorder

It’s often labeled attention deficit disorder, but experts say what may be the real problem behind thousands of children’s behavior problems could actually be sleep apnea.

According to ear, nose and throat physicians, enlarged tonsils can cause obstructive sleep apnea in children causing them to stop breathing repeatedly during the night resulting in sleep deprivation.

“If kids aren’t sleeping at night it can affect their school work and mental development,” says Stephen Landers, M.D., a ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician at Our Children’s House at Baylor.

According to experts, thousands of children with sleep apnea caused by enlarged tonsils are sometimes actually misdiagnosed with learning disabilities.

“If children are allowed to sleep properly a lot of these behavioral issues are improved,” adds Dr. Landers.

So how do you know if your child’s ADD, ADHD, or other behavioral problems may actually be caused by sleep apnea?

Experts say to observe your child while they sleep at night. Are they snoring loudly or making gasping or snorting noises? These could all be signs of sleep apnea and should be brought to the attention of your family physician.

In adults, sleep apnea is often caused by excess weight, but in 90 percent of pediatric cases, it is caused by enlarged tonsils. Fortunately, a tonsillectomy usually treats obstructive sleep apnea in children.

Signs of not getting enough sleep or sleeping poorly include consistently taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, awakening more than a few times or for long periods each night, feeling sleepy during the day, or having trouble concentrating at school or at work.

Keeping a daily sleep log, or diary, can help you track your sleep habits and identify what might be interfering with sleep. You may download a sleep diary. To download files from this site, you need to be registered as a site member to gain access. Once registered, simply login, and then download the files you’re interest in.

Links of interest

Have you had bouts of insomnia lasting two weeks or more? Do you walk around in a constant fog, feeling sleepy, fatigued, and as though you have no energy? Perhaps you “feel” older than you are, or maybe it’s all you can do to stay awake while driving. If any of that, or similar issues are familiar, or if you snore or have disrupted sleep, even if just a few simple, repeat trips to the bathroom during the night, check out these two online tests to help you get to the root of the issue. While they will not make a diagnosis for you, they will help you, your physician, or, more appropriately, a sleep specialist, find out what’s causing you the problem sleepiness.

• Epworth Sleepiness Scale
• World Class Snoring Quiz
• Sleep Diary

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