Wild Behavior? It Could Be Due to Poor Quality Sleep
If you have a hyperactive child who has trouble listening, focusing, and has all signs pointing to a condition such as ADD or ADHD, take a pause. It could be something much deeper, such as an issue with getting good quality sleep. The main culprit? Pediatric sleep apnea. Yes, sleep apnea can happen to anybody, even happy and healthy children. If you have a “wild child” and are looking into how to make life a little less frustrating for them and you, it might be time to consider pediatric sleep apnea treatment. Keep reading to learn more about pediatric sleep apnea and the non-invasive, CPAP-free way to treat it.
What is Pediatric Sleep Apnea?
Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a childhood disorder in which there is upper airway dysfunction causing complete or partial airway obstruction during sleep, leading to decreased oxygen saturation or arousals from sleep. It can have dramatic effects on childhood behavior, neurodevelopment, metabolism, and overall health. Early recognition, evaluation, and treatment are important to prevent long-term consequences.
Some facts regarding pediatric sleep apnea include:
- The incidence of pediatric OSA peaks between 2 and 8 years of age due to the increased growth of tonsils and adenoids relative to the size of the upper airway in this age group.
- Risk factors for early-onset OSA include prematurity, Down syndrome, African-American race, and daycare attendance.
- The severity can be increased in those with obesity, tobacco exposure, and reduced family income.
- Boys are at an increased risk after puberty, but the prepubertal risk is equal among boys and girls.
What Are Symptoms of Pediatric Sleep Apnea?
When you think of sleep apnea, you might be picturing someone more like a grown, middle-aged man. While this is a large percentage of sleep apnea sufferers, it can happen to anyone, even children.
Take note of your child’s sleep habits and other daytime habits, such as the following:
- Breathing mainly through the mouth
- Restless sleep and frequent wake-ups
- Sleepwalking
- Bedwetting, specifically if your child was previously dry throughout the night
- Changes in muscle tone
- Sleeping in strange positions
- Irritability
- Daytime sleepiness
- Requiring a nap most days past the toddler ages
- Frequent headaches
- Frequent bad breath
- Dental issues such as frequent cavities or gum issues
- Hyperactivity that could be confused with ADHD
- A decline in performance at school or in sports
- Obesity
Does this sound like your child? Your child may only exhibit a few of the above symptoms, but it can be enough to get a sleep test and determine if they need treatment in order to get a proper night’s sleep.
How Sleep Apnea Causes Hyperactivity
Pediatric sleep apnea can be challenging to diagnose. There are many symptoms that occur that are behavioral, and as parents, you can understand that children are often unpredictable and experience phases throughout life.
One of the main things pediatric sleep apnea is confused with is ADHD, because they have similar symptoms. In fact, Hyperactivity is common for children who experience pediatric OSA because they are usually tired, leading them to become hyper and experience surges of energy to stay awake. This can often lead to a misdiagnosis of ADHD when, really, your child just simply needs a better quality night’s sleep.
In addition to being hyperactive, they can be moody, irritable, and extremely fatigued. It can be difficult for parents, caregivers, and teachers to deal with on a daily basis, and it is also difficult for the child to experience day after day.
Is Pediatric Sleep Apnea Dangerous?
If you suspect your child has pediatric sleep apnea, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. This is because pediatric sleep apnea does not go away on its own. In fact, it only gets worse over time. Pediatric sleep apnea can lead to many health issues, deformities, and more.
Children with sleep apnea have a higher risk of:
Obesity
Cardiovascular issues
Depression
Dental issues
Due to the severity of the health issues that could develop due to pediatric sleep apnea, it is important to address the underlying cause of your child’s sleep apnea as soon as possible before symptoms and their quality of life become worse.
Is Your Child a Mouth Breather?
Many children, especially toddlers, tend to breathe through their mouths. Children are often congested, learning how to pronounce words, use binkies, and suck their thumbs. All of these things can lead to mouth breathing—but so can sleep apnea.
There are several reasons why mouth breathing is bad, including that it can lead to health issues, physical abnormalities, and can be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious health condition.
Since the nose acts like a filter for the body, breathing through your mouth allows toxins into your body and bloodstream. This can lead to many issues, such as:
- Bad breath
- Gingivitis
- Tooth cavities
- Dental issues
- Throat infections
- Ear infections
- Cardiovascular issues
- Obesity
Breathing through the mouth, especially as a child, can lead to many physical abnormalities and alter facial appearance. Some of the changes that can happen to the face include:
- Poor posture
- Large overbite
- Crowded teeth
- Gummy smile
- Narrow mouth
- Long, narrow face
What to Do About Pediatric Sleep Apnea
The good news about pediatric sleep apnea is that it is a treatable condition. When you go to your child’s next doctor appointment, speak to your pediatrician about your concerns.
Your child’s doctor will ask about symptoms and may perform a physical exam. They may also refer your child to a sleep study, which can help pinpoint the source of the sleep apnea.
According to Cedars Sinai, a sleep study is the best way to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. However, the test may be hard to do with younger children or those who don’t want to cooperate. For the study, your child may need to sleep in a special lab. Sometimes, sleep apnea testing may be done with a device used in your own home.
While sleeping, he or she will be connected to monitors that check:
- Brain activity
- Electrical activity of the heart
- Oxygen and often carbon dioxide content in the blood
- Movement of the chest and abdominal wall
- Muscle activity
- Amount of air flowing through the nose and mouth
Once you receive a formal diagnosis of sleep apnea, give us a call at Gorman Health and Wellness so that we can help your child.
Is There Pediatric Sleep Apnea Treatment?
At Gorman Health and Wellness, we are committed to finding our patients the best possible long-term treatment for sleep apnea issues, and this includes even our youngest patients.
Our treatment employs a multidisciplinary treatment plan that uses noninvasive, cost-effective oral appliance technology prescribed by our trained dentists and medical professionals to treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild-to-moderate OSA and snoring. In fact, our office is one of the very few in the Los Angeles area that prescribe it. This revolutionary treatment is called The Vivos Method.
Improper development of the jaws and oral cavity can lead to an undersized airway where the tongue is more prone to fall into the back of the throat, causing the airway to collapse—especially at night. By reshaping and expanding the oral cavity, your airway may also expand, allowing you to both breathe and sleep more deeply.
After you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, our Vivos-trained dentist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation, taking all relevant clinical records, in order to formulate a customized treatment plan. This treatment plan will likely include a number of integrative therapies that have been proven to ensure the best treatment outcomes.
Unlike virtually every other nonsurgical treatment for OSA, which requires nightly lifetime intervention, studies show that patients undergoing treatment with our Vivos doctors have an average treatment time of about 12 months.
Pediatric Sleep Apnea Treatment with Gorman Health and Wellness
Dr. Gorman is a part of the breathing wellness movement, which aims to increase awareness and improve treatment for sleep-related airway conditions like sleep apnea. He has partnered with organizations focused on collaborating with dentists to apply the sciences of Craniofacial Epigenetics (the study of cranial modifications caused by gene expression as opposed to genetic code alteration) and Pneumopedics® (the practical application of oral appliance therapy and non-surgical airway remodeling) in the management of sleep apnea.
Together, the application of these sciences allows for underlying causes of airway obstruction to be treated in 98% of cases, resulting in a high success rate among sleep apnea patients. For every sleep apnea case at our practice, Dr. Gorman will gather patient data and determine the patient’s specific needs based on home sleep test results, dental impressions, CT scans, and images. Our state-of-the-art technology, paired with Dr. Gorman’s experience with sleep disorders, allows him to find the most effective treatment plan for each individual’s particular case, yielding improved daytime and nighttime breathing for the patient.
“I have been helping people suffering from Sleep Apnea with a non-invasive, clinically approved treatment method. This method has allowed my patients to sleep with far fewer events per hour allowing them to get rid of their CPAP and BiPAP machines. Imagine not having to use one of those machines, getting back a much greater quality of life along with the benefits of being able to breathe better.” – Dr. Gorman.
For more information on Dr. Gorman, improving your child’s sleep apnea, and decreasing their hyperactive behavior, contact us today.
