"My child sleeps soundly every day, snoring." "My child snores with his mouth open while sleeping, I wonder if it will lead to changes in teeth and facial appearance?" March 21st is the annual World Sleep Day, and the quality of sleep not only affects the child's physical health and intellectual development, but also affects the hearts of parents.
In response to parents' concerns, Liu Haixia, director of the Otolaryngology Department of Shanxi Provincial Children's Hospital, said that if a child snores, parents should pay sufficient attention. Snoring does not mean sleeping soundly, and if severe, there is a risk of sleep apnea or low ventilation.
"I had a CT scan of my child half a year ago, and half a year later, when I checked again, I found that the child's tonsils and adenoids were becoming more prominent." Shi Zhuo (alias), an 8-year-old sophomore student in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, had just undergone bilateral tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. The child's mother said that her child has been snoring for a long time, and she didn't take it seriously at first. In the past six months, as long as the child caught a cold once, the degree of snoring has worsened. Therefore, she took the child to the Otolaryngology Department of Shanxi Provincial Children's Hospital for examination.
Why do children snore?
Liu Haixia explained that snoring during sleep does not mean sleeping soundly. Snoring is actually a disease that normal children do not snore during sleep. Children's snoring is mainly caused by upper respiratory tract stenosis, and the most common causes are hypertrophy of the tonsils or adenoids, allergic rhinitis, and obesity.
Many parents who bring their children to the Otolaryngology Department of Shanxi Provincial Children's Hospital come to consult about sleep apnea, oral breathing, snoring, adenoid facial features, and other issues. Liu Haixia said that if a child has a long-term habit of snoring for more than 3 months, especially if it is accompanied by symptoms such as sleep apnea and oral breathing, it is necessary to attract the attention of parents and seek medical attention in a timely manner.
It is understood that snoring, mouth breathing, suffocation, inattention, growth and development below normal standards, and susceptibility to anger during sleep are all manifestations of sleep apnea. The peak age of onset of sleep apnea in children is between the ages of 3 and 6, which is also the fastest growing stage of adenoids and tonsils in humans. Growth is also occurring from the age of 6 to adolescence, but it is relatively slow, and it will slowly atrophy after puberty.
"One of the important reasons for snoring is adenoid hypertrophy, which can cause oral breathing, leading to abnormalities in jaw bone development, such as lengthening of the maxillary bone, high arch of the hard palate, uneven dentition, protruding upper incisors, malocclusion, and thick lips." Liu Haixia said, this is what parents commonly refer to as adenoid facial features, which can seriously affect a child's "appearance.".
Liu Haixia said that for children with sleep apnea, a diagnosis will be made based on the length of the child's illness and the severity of the symptoms, and if necessary, sleep monitoring will also be conducted for the child. At the same time, targeted medication or surgical treatment should be carried out according to the cause of the child's illness. If a child is found to have sleep apnea, parents are advised to seek treatment at a regular hospital as soon as possible.
