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Sleep Apnoea

By February 7, 2017 Diseases

Snoring

Laboured breathing during sleep

Excessive sweatiness and/or restlessness during sleep

Excessive day time sleepiness and/or morning tiredness or head aches

Pauses in breathing and/or choking/gasping/snorting during sleep

 

Awakening due to bad dreams and/or sleep walking

Positions (sleeping in unusual positions; eg. extended neck, sitting up)

Nasal obstruction and mouth breathing

Overweight or underweight

Enuresis (bed wetting)

Attention/learning/behavioural problems

The above handy check list is a great tool you can use for a physical examination to judge the potential your child could be at risk of obstructive sleep apnoea.

Children may stop breathing 40 to 50 times an hour every hour during sleep which can then cause the brain to starve of oxygen, which can than lead to difficulty concentrating at school.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnoea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnoea is a combination of the two. With each apnoea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnoea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.