Dr. Komarovsky about what to do if a child snores in his sleep

Snoring adult - a phenomenon, though unpleasant, but, by and large, quite ordinary. Few of us are surprised if a fellow traveler on a train or a friend who came to visit with an overnight stay, after a certain amount of alcohol, is full of words and snores until the very morning. But children's snoring is something completely incomprehensible. Therefore, parents who notice this feature of their children often turn to Yevgeny Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician and author of children's health books, who in turn tells what a child’s snoring may mean and whether it can be treated.

Evgeny Komarovsky notes that children most often snore for two reasons:

Congestion of dried mucus in the airways.

There are other reasons, but they are much less common. So, snoring can be a consequence of impaired bite, quite often children, suffering from epilepsy, obesity (not deprived of weight, namely obesity), babies with some pathologies of the respiratory organs often snore in a dream.

Quite often, parents complain that a child snores in a dream. Komarovsky urges not to confuse snoring and wheezing. Babies sniff, not because of illness, but because they have a certain physiological distinguishing feature - the nasal passages are very narrow from birth. Such sniffing is not a pathology, it does not need treatment.

Helping a child is nonetheless necessary. Komarovsky advises creating sufficiently humidified air; if necessary, irrigate the nasopharynx with saline solutions.

If an older child snores, and he did not do this before, and in 2 or 3 years he began to snore, you should start looking for the cause of the phenomenon with an assessment of the conditions in which the child sleeps. If a child breathes in dusty, dry air, he is put to sleep in a room where there are many “dust collectors” - carpets, soft toys, books; if wet cleaning and airing are done not every day, but once a week, no snore. In the respiratory tract due to such a microclimate, mucus dries out, which is produced by the body to protect against viruses and other harmful organisms. Dry mucus becomes a mechanical barrier to normal breathing at night in a dream.

Snoring can be a consequence of a previous sore throat, after this serious illness, laryngeal edema persists for some time. This state does not need correction, snoring will pass.Such a sound night effect is possible after any respiratory disease in which the respiratory organs suffered.

If the child snores at night and breathes with the mouth, nasal breathing is also observed during the daytime, adenoids are likely - an overgrowth of the lymphoid tissue of the pharyngeal tonsil. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor, depending on the stage and severity of the disease. In some cases, surgery is indicated.

When systematic snoring examination necessarily be started with a visit to the ENT doctor. In addition to the adenoids, the doctor may also find other causes for snoring - a curvature of the nasal septum, polyps in the nasal passages, foreign small objects that a child could inadvertently shove into the nose or inhale, laryngitis or beginning bronchial asthma.

In case of obesity in a child, the fat spreads not only to the subcutaneous space, but also to the tissues of the pharynx, which causes a narrowing of the lumen and vibration when the soft palate relaxes. Such snoring is treated by reducing the amount of food consumed, diet, exercise and active games. Help in reducing excess weight can dietitian.

There are several types of bite impairment that can cause night snoring. When asked why children snore in the absence of a head cold, an orthodontist pediatric dentist will help. Usually, if the lower jaw is poorly developed, shifted back, in a dream, when muscles are relaxed, the root of the tongue is in contact with the uvula. The passage of air is hampered. What to do - the orthodontist will decide after examining the child’s jaw, usually such pathologies detected at an early age can be successfully corrected without surgery.

If children's snoring is ignored and does not look for the true cause of the violation, the consequences can be unpleasant.

Dry oropharyngeal mucus can cause chronic respiratory problems. in children, and running adenoids is very difficult to treat.

Without exception, all snoring children sleep less well, and disturbances in the quality of sleep lead to nervous exhaustion, metabolic disorders, reduced concentration of attention, and learning ability.

Dr. Komarovsky will talk about the causes of child snoring in the video below.