Sleep apnea occurs when a person experiences repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep. If your child is experiencing sleep apnea, he may snore, breathe out of his mouth, have restless nights, feel excessively sleepy in the daytime and experience cognitive and behavioral problems in school and other social situations. The range of treatment for sleep apnea, particularly in children, can range from simple to extreme.
Instructions
1. Reassure your child. Sleep apnea can be scary for anyone, especially a child. If surgery is needed or even a face mask to administer air, it's important to help him through this process.
2. Watch your child's weight. Being overweight can play a major role in why a child is experiencing sleep apnea. Helping your child lose excess weight will lessen the symptoms and perhaps solve the problem.
3. Treat allergies. If your child has allergies, any nasal obstruction can contribute to the sleep apnea. Nasal steroids can lessen the symptoms of the allergies as well as the sleep apnea.
4. Change sleeping positions. Encourage your child to sleep on her side instead of her back. If she's not on her back, it's less likely her airway will become blocked.
5. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. Episodes of apnea will occur more frequently if the child isn't getting enough sleep to begin with.
6. Buy a cervical pillow. This specialized pillow will keep the child's head in the correct position so as to prevent apnea.
7. Look into dental devices. Such devices can be made to keep the airways open during sleep, and are specially designed by dentists with experience in treating sleep apnea. This may be an option for your child. Talk to your dentist to see if your child may be eligible for such a device.
8. For more stubborn cases, have your child wear a breathing mask to bed. Apnea can be helped by providing continuous airway pressure. This pressure is delivered by a nose mask hooked up to a machine that the child wears during sleep.
9. Consider surgery. Often, the only way to cure sleep apnea is through surgery. Anything that obstructs the airway can be taken care of surgically. Such surgeries can repair a deviated septum, repair a face abnormality, reduce the presence of soft tissue in the upper airway, and remove the enlarged tonsil or adenoid causing the problem.
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