Surgical interventions for many obese children suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may not cure the problem, according to recently released research findings.
Obese children are at increased risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that is associated with a decreased quality of life as well as behavioral, neuro-cognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and psychiatric complications.
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.
As the new school year approaches, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and Awake In America encourage parents and kids to put healthy sleep on the list of back-to-school necessities. NSF and Awake In America recommend gradually adjusting sleep schedules in order to be alert and energized as well as to assure optimal learning, participation and health.
“Kids tend to sleep and wake up later during the summer, making the transition to the school-year sleep schedule difficult,” explains Awake In America’s President, Michele Narcavage. “As tempting as it is to enjoy sleeping late in the final days of summer break, getting up earlier for school will be much easier if kids begin adjusting their sleep schedules now.”
The corticosteroid drug budesonide, given as a nasal spray for 6 weeks, benefits children with mild sleep apnea, a study shows.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when soft tissues in the nose and throat collapse, blocking breathing for brief but frequent periods during sleep.
Primary snoring in children may have an impact on cardiovascular functioning equivalent to that of moderate obstructive sleep apnea, according to a research abstract.
The study, authored by Angela Jackman and colleagues at the University of Melbourne and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, focused on 40 children who were referred for clinical assessment of a sleep-related breathing disorder and matched controls.
Treating pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with either orthodontic expansion or adenotonsillectomy improves symptoms, but most young children need both treatments to have complete resolution of OSA symptoms, according to a study published in the July 1, 2008 issue of the journal Sleep.
In the first study to use continuous measurements of blood pressure during overnight sleep, a research abstract presented at Sleep 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) finds that all severities of sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) in children are associated with elevated blood pressure during sleep compared with non-snoring control children.
The study, authored by Rosemary Horne, PhD, of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, focused on 88 children between seven and 13 years of age, including 68 referred for the assessment of SRBD and 20 non-snoring controls.
Young children in predominantly Caucasian countries obtain more overall sleep, have earlier bedtimes, and are less likely to room-share than young children in predominantly Asian countries.
The results indicate substantial differences in sleep patterns in young children throughout the world, according to a research abstract presented at Sleep 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
A child with a migraine headache is more likely to suffer from sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and lack of sleep, than children without migraines, according to a research abstract on the effects of headaches on children’s sleep patterns presented at Sleep 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
For this study, 90 children with headache and sleep problems underwent a polysomnogram, a sleep test that monitors the brain, eye movements, muscle activity, heart rhythm, and breathing.
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As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the U.S. population
was 306,340,710. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 21,443,850 apneics in the U.S.
~~ Apnea around the world ~~
As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the world population
was 6,777,286,604. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 474,410,062 apneics in the world.
