Types, Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Children
Sleep apnea is an umbrella word for any condition that leads to short pauses in breathing at night. Anyone may be affected by this issue, but most cases are reported in people beyond the middle age. There are 3 main forms of sleep apnea, including complex sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and obstructive sleep apnea. It is important to know that sleep apnea is not the only cause of breathing issues during sleep. In fact, many other conditions, such as upper airway resistance syndrome, sleep groaning, or snoring may be the culprit. [2]
The signs of central and obstructive sleep apnea are quite similar. The main differences come from snoring. Common symptoms of this condition in children include bedwetting, sleep terrors, breathing through their mouth, brief pauses in breathing, choking or coughing during sleep, loud snoring, and weird sleeping posture. Many of these symptoms do not only happen during the night. If children are disrupted, some daytime symptoms may happen. These include difficulty waking the next morning, drowsiness during the day, tiredness, hyperactivity, or focus issues. [3]
