Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing that is linked to increased rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other adaptive and learning problems in children.
As found in a new 5-year study published in the Journal of SLEEP from the Tucson Children’s Assessment of Sleep Apnea Study (TuCASA) in which 263 Hispanic and Caucasian children between 6 to 11 years old were examined to determine the prevalence and incidence of sleep-disordered breathing and its effects on neurobehavioral functioning. The children completed an overnight sleep study and neurobehavioral assessments that included parent and youth-reported rating scales. 23 children had an incident sleep apnea developed during the study period, 21 children had persistent sleep apnea throughout the entire study, and 41 children who had sleep apnea initially no longer had breathing problems during sleep at the five-year follow-up which shows that the odds of behavioral problems were 4-5 times higher in children with incident sleep apnea and 6 times higher in children who had persistent sleep apnea. Therefore, children with sleep apnea are more likely to problems
in areas of hyperactivity, attention, disruptive behaviours, communication, social competency, and self-care as compared to those who never had sleep-disordered breathing, and children with persistent sleep apnea were 7 times more likely to have learning problems and 3 times more likely to have lower school grades.
The study provides useful information for medical professionals consulting with parents about the
treatment options for their children with sleep-disordered breathing, especially those who have existing behavioral risk and should consider the possibility that sleep-disordered breathing contributes to difficulties with hyperactivity, learning, and behavioral and emotional dysregulation in the classroom. Although sleep-disordered breathing declines into adolescence, parents should consider taking up potential treatments instead of taking a wait-and-see approach as it is risky. Moreover, OSA occurs in about 2% of children who are healthy, with larger tonsils and adenoids, and experience loud snoring. The effective treatment options for children include surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids or the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and low energy, it is important to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis early and the underlying issue of the cause of sleep apnea. Depending on your financial situation and sleep apnea condition, the doctor will work through with you the type of sleep apnea test in the comfort of your home or an in-lab sleep test to determine the precise nature of your condition to avoid any long-term issues. Besides most insurance companies now pay for sleep testing and CPAP OSA treatment, early intervention with a sleep apnea device can stop snoring or one can a sleep apnea CPAP trial from the equipment supplier or distributor that distributes a range of sleep apnea machines and CPAP supplies fora better quality of sleep and healthier overall well-being.
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