"medical-clinic-info.com"

Occasional snoring may be normal to children. Recent studies show that 3 to 12 percent of children between the age of 1 and 9 snore. But frequency doesn’t mean normality. Habitual snoring can be a cause of a more serious medical condition called obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or simply, sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by loud snoring with periods of breathing interruptions. Interruptions may be short or prolonged, usually between 5 to 30 seconds. During this period, the child’s could not get straight sleep. He rouses and moves to another sleeping position, then resumes sleep. After a while he will once again begin snoring. This activity often happens several times during the night, each night. Although this condition rarely appears on children, it is very important that parents should watch out for symptoms that come along with it.

Symptoms of sleep apnea include

• Poor speech habits - talking that sounds like words over a mouthful of hot potato.
• Reduced growth rate. Children suffering from sleep apnea use more energy in breathing during the night. During meals, they tend to eat slowly since it is hard for them to breathe and chew at the same time. The result is, they have insufficient nutrients to support their growth.
• Hyperactivity. Lack of sleep can cause drowsiness on children during the day. To stay awake, children act frantically.
• Poor performance in school. Since children do not get the right sleep during the night, they tend to appear tired and lack the concentration to focus at school, thus, having a poor performance.

When these symptoms are visible, it is imperative for parents to bring their child to a pediatrician and have him examined. A child can be happy and smiling when he is brought to the doctor and therefore, it is difficult to diagnose if he really has sleep apnea. Parents are advised to record their child’s snoring so that the doctor can analyze the situation in actually.

Meanwhile, sleep apnea is not the sole reason why children snore. Other reasons include allergy attack, obesity, asthma, and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis.

Some allergy attacks can cause swelling on the linings of the nose that can direct to the enlargement of adenoids. This keeps the child from breathing normally. This causes the child to snore. After the allergy attack, the snoring stops.

Obesity can also lead to snoring. In fact, 20% and 40% of the obese children snore. This is because fats can form around the throat that can cause constriction and makes the limited airways. Also, fats in the stomach can cause the diaphragm to function irregularly

Asthma is said to be another cause why children snore. A study revealed that 40% of the children diagnosed with asthma snore.

Enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis also results to snoring. While cold or tonsillitis can be cured by decongestant and antibiotics, adenoid enlargement is treated by surgical procedure to remove adenoids and tonsils.

Underdevelopment of the jaw inside the womb can cause snoring as well. There is also the possibility that the nerves and the muscles cannot control the airway properly and cause that child to snore.

You are not alone if you are frequently awakened by midnight grunts. So many fall victim to snores, regardless if they are the snorer or the bed partner.

Snoring is the condition simply associated with noise created during sleep. There are various conditions that may be considered as its cause but the bottom line is- it is all due to any blockages directly affecting the throat, mouth and nose.

Snoring may be due to the following conditions:

Excess mass in the throat. This may be caused by extra long soft palate or uvula and excess tissues due to bulky necks. Because the throat is limited in space, it is often not ideal if there would be extra muscles that would be dangling in it.

Overweight people often snore since their necks are a bit stuffier than ordinary-built people. Some children, on the other hand, snore when they have inflamed adenoids or large tonsils.

Poor muscle tone of the throat and the tongue. Muscles during sleep are less tense thus those muscles found in the air passages are likely to be encouraged to collapse or collide with each other. This collision will then cause vibrations that we call snores.

Because of poor muscle tone, the tongue is allowed to fall back to the throat. This then is known to cause blockages since the tongue can possibly obstruct the passage of air.

Poor muscle tone may also be induced through taking alcohol or any substance that causes relaxation before sleep.

To resolve snoring, one either has to find relief from these causes or permanently erase the main source of the condition.

There are various methods of treating the causes of snoring through using stop snoring devices. From nasal strips to adjustable beds, you are sure to find one that will suit your preferences and convenience.

Be warned though that some products are known to induce no relief for the snorer. However, don’t jump to conclusions that such don’t actually work. Often, it may be because the products are not properly used or they simply don’t fit as remedies for a specific type of snoring.

Nasal strips for example should only be used by those people who, for the most parts, is affected by snores rooting from problems in the nasal passages. These nasal strips then are not suited for snorers whose primary problem comes from the blockages found in the mouth.

While most patients are familiar with stop snoring sprays, not all people report that these actually induce relief. Often, people comment of its credibility. This is especially true for those types who claim of “softening throat tissues”. It is good to remember that snoring is not caused by either soft or hardened tissues but of those that block the air passages.

Another common product for snoring are the stop snoring pillows. These are not your-ordinary-pillows since they are constructed specifically for people who have the need to lie on their sideward sleeping position.

Lying flat on the back while sleeping can effectively narrow the passages of air. Add the fact that the jaw is often forced to drop to give room for the tongue, thus adding up to the pile of problems caused by blockages.

Before buying any products to treat snoring, it is best to educate yourself well so you can get the best of the benefits.