Children Who Snore: Reasons And Remedies
Snoring can be associated with conditions such as: obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and other circumstances that may seem more typical of adults. For this reason, many mothers are often concerned when they discover that they have children who snore.
When snoring becomes high frequency, concerns arise. In these cases, a pediatrician is usually used and once it is verified that a child’s snoring is not normal, then it is necessary to know what the differentiation is between common snoring and that which may indicate health problems.
Children who snore atypically
In children who snore, the causes can be very varied. However, snoring is harmless and temporary in most cases. However, depending on the intensity or particularity of the snoring, it can also be a symptom of a serious problem or with the potential to be one. The most common (biological) reasons for snoring in children are the following:
Diseases
- Cold. The common cold encourages the formation of mucus, and therefore, it can block the airways and cause children to snore during their sleep. Of course, not all children with colds snore, which is why many parents overlook linking an atypical snoring with a present cold. In this scenario it is commonly denoted by snoring every few minutes.
- Asthma. A chronic condition commonly known for its symptoms of shortness of breath that appear under intense exertion or stress.
- Asthma also makes the airways more hyperactive and sensitive to environmental conditions, with which, situations such as a cool temperature in the child’s room while sleeping, can cause a mild symptom of obstruction in the airways that is denoted in the children who snore.
- Allergies Mites, pet fur, dust and other debris can stimulate the muscles of the throat or respiratory tract to a greater or lesser degree, causing them to become obstructed at night and cause difficulty in breathing, thereby generating snoring in children.
- Obesity. Excess weight also affects the neck, this is especially important in the issue of children who snore due to the formation of fat deposits that can form around the neck, which implies a greater effort in this part of the body and that hence, it can cause hoarseness in children.
- Sleep apnea. It relaxes the muscles in the upper part of the throat, causing them to obstruct the passage of air and causing snoring in children. It is often denoted by presenting itself violently from one moment to another, which occurs when the muscles involved in this condition suddenly close.
Other triggers for snoring in children
- Tonsils susceptible to cold. Even without asthma or having caught a cold, children’s tonsils are especially sensitive to cold, enlarging and obstructing the passage of air. With which, it is common that in winter children can get snoring when sleeping.
- Tobacco smoke. Smoking indoors by one or both parents can, over time, impact your child’s lung development. It is a circumstance that is often too underestimated as a root cause in children who snore.
Snoring, however, is not the worst symptom that the child will have due to third-party smoke, so when this possibility is detected, it will be necessary to take guidelines about this habit, so that the development of more serious conditions is avoided, such as asthma.
Remedies for snoring in children
Among the home remedies for children who snore there are various infusions, massages or postures. Of course, these are reserved for when the origin of snoring is not pathological, or to contrast it. Other measures that can help include the following:
- Move the child’s room.
- Lower the air conditioning temperature.
- Use anti-allergenic sheets and pillows.
- Change the child’s position during snoring.
Going to the doctor will always be the best option when the child’s snoring is persistent and without obvious cause.
When should I be concerned about my child’s snoring?
We should be concerned when snoring affects the daily life of children. If the bad mood, the discomfort (headaches, muscle aches, among others) become chronic and make the child feel bad continuously, the visit to the doctor should not be delayed.
Poor rest and lack of sleep can increase the frequency of snoring. In fact, sleep can become lighter and may be accompanied by sweating, panting, among other symptoms. It is necessary to pay attention to this when communicating with the pediatrician.
