Unfortunately, the symptoms of the two can be very similar, including things like: There is danger in this as children are being medicated with drugs that aren’t addressing their needs while a potentially serious medical condition is being ignored. In fact, Sleep Review the Journal for Sleep Specialists reports that sleep apnea is quite often misdiagnosed as ADHD in children. What the test was not clear about is whether this increased risk was the result of OSA on arousal response, urinary hormone secretion, or bladder pressure.Ĭhildren who have continuously disrupted or fragmented sleep, as is often the case with obstructive sleep apnea, will often have difficulty focusing and behaving in the classroom.

AĢ003 study appearing in the National Library of Medicine reveals that children with suspected sleep breathing disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, were at a higher risk of enuresis. It is simply the result of a child who isn’t getting enough sleep and is too tired to wake up when he or she needs to use the restroom. This is usually not the result of an unruly child or too much water before bedtime among children with sleep apnea. Of course, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is one of the potential causes for enuresis and should not be eliminated from the list of conditions to check for and rule out – especially if your children exhibit other symptoms of OSA. The key rests in finding the underlying cause of nocturnal enuresis to rule out other conditions such as constipation, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and more. In fact, it is estimated that between five and seven million children in the U.S. Bedwetting is quite common among children. This is a disturbing symptom for parents to watch and one you might want to follow up with your healthcare provider about to rule out the potential for other serious health conditions.Īnother term for enuresis is bedwetting. Lung tissue disease (such as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary edema, etc.) Lower airway obstruction (including asthma or bronchiolitis) Children may experience mild, moderate, or severe retractions indicating the difficulty they are having taking in air and may be the result of one of three causes: Ultimately what it means is that your child is working harder than he or she should need to in order to take in a breath. How can you tell your child is experiencing sternal retractions? These retractions usually present as an inward movement of the chest wall or the inward movement of the sternum while your child is breathing in (or inspiring). This is yet another way your child’s body is letting you know he or she is putting forth increased effort to breathe. When you hear these sounds in combination with snoring it is cause for concern and certainly worth investigating. This type of sound from your child while sleeping is indicative of an increase in respiratory effort required because the upper airway is collapsed. While the snoring associated with sleep apnea in children doesn’t have to be loud, loud snoring may indicate a greater likelihood of sleep apnea – especially if in conjunction with some of the other symptoms mentioned below. However, snoring can be a signal that perhaps your child has sleep apnea – especially if your child snorts or gasps while snoring or appears to suck in this chest. In fact, 20 percent of children snore on occasion with between seven and 10 percent of children snore most nights. Of course, snoring is not always a sign of something wrong. This isn’t the usual course of things when looking for signs of sleep apnea in children. Most parents expect the snoring associated with sleep apnea to be loud, as is often the case with adults. Top 10 signs and symptoms that indicate your child may potentially have sleep apnea. That is why it is so important for you to be on the lookout for these: Sleep apnea is a condition that affects nearly three percent of children, according to a scholarly article appearing in the Korean Journal of Pediatrics. One of your biggest fears is that something would come along to compromise the health of your child or place that health at risk. As parents, you want the best for your child.

Pauses in breathing while awake