Children diagnosed with sleep apnea may be overactive and aggressive.
They will also suffer a lot in their studies. Sometimes their sleep may be different from normal. They can also wet the bed.
During the day, some of them breathe through their mouths instead of their noses.
Loud snoring, panting, panting, and temporarily stopping breathing are all signs of sleep apnea.
Basically, its signs and symptoms are similar to those of adults. Even so, doctors cannot always detect this sleep disorder in children.
They think that, in any case, most of them are overactive, which is not a big deal.
There are some steps you can take to determine if your child really has sleep apnea:
• Consult your child's pediatrician and let him or her know what is happening.
• Consult an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat).
• See a lung specialist (pulmonologist) who specializes in children.
• Psychiatrists, psychologists and other medical service providers can also help with the diagnosis.
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If you have health insurance, be sure to check with them first to see if you need to refer to certain medical providers.
If more tests are needed, check whether the doctor is certified by the committee to treat children with sleep apnea.
Don't be afraid to ask for your credentials. In addition, this is also the health problem of the child you are dealing with.
With them, any diagnosis may require meticulous care and attention. The doctor also needs to find out if he is taking medicine and if the child is allergic to anything.
In addition, inform them of any problems with their behavior and development.
Most importantly, provide them with information about their sleep patterns at night and whether they are taking a nap.
The child may have to take a sleep study or polysomnogram (PSG) to determine the severity of their sleep apnea.
There are other tests that are given to make a determination.
They include:
• An electroencephalogram (EEG), which is used to measure the waves of the brain;
• An electroculogram (EOG), which is used for chin and eye measurements;
• Both of these tests are used to check on the different sleep stages;
• An electrocardiogram (EKG), which is used for rhythm and heart rate measurements;
• Tests using chest bands for breathing movement measurements;
• Tests using more monitors for levels of oxygen and levels carbon dioxide in the child’s blood.
The majority of the sleep studies for children require an overnight stay.
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There are not a lot of medical facilities that specialize in sleep apnea for children.
Even with that, the ones that are used for adults will utilize them to test children as well.
Check the facility to find out if they work with children that may have this sleep disorder. As with adults, check various organizations and groups to find a qualified sleep specialist.
Also, as with adults, if sleep apnea goes untreated in children, they can also experience serious health issues down the road.
Children can also get worse with their behavioral patterns and academics in school if they are not treated in a timely manner.
Don’t take for granted that they may just be going through a difficult time when it could very well be sleep apnea.