Not only adults, but also children snore. And snoring has more dangerous consequences for children than for adults. Snoring is a manifestation of a dangerous syndrome called obstructive sleep apnea. This pathology poses a danger to all organs and systems of the human body.
Child snoring has many dangerous consequences
The cardiovascular system responds first to a decrease in oxygen. In response to a decrease in oxygen, the heart contracts faster, but at the same time their strength decreases, since the heart muscle does not have enough oxygen to fully contract.
After cardiovascular disease, the central nervous system suffers. Reflexes and responses to stimuli are inhibited. There is also a decrease in the activity of the secretory abilities of the stomach and intestines. This leads to metabolic and digestive disorders in general.
Causes of snoring in children
The main causes of snoring in children are nasal congestion and the presence of tumors in the respiratory tract.
A common cause of snoring in children is nasal congestion.
The cause of a runny nose can be rhinitis, acute respiratory diseases, sinusitis, sinusitis, and sinusitis. Also, with a sore throat, the baby may snore. These diseases lead to swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. But nasal congestion in infants can occur even in the absence of pathology. For example, with a long loud cry, too active breast sucking. These conditions are not considered a pathology, as they are a physiological feature.
One of the common diseases that cause snoring in children is adenoiditis. Adenoids are glandular tissue that forms a growth that takes on a fairly large size.
A stuffy nose can also occur in pathological conditions. In this situation, in addition to snoring, nasal pyorrhea (discharge of pus from the nose) and increased body temperature are noted. It is worth noting that with physiological nasal congestion, hyperthermia is not observed. Nasal congestion can be noted with allergic reactions to airborne allergens. In this case, lacrimation and redness of the skin of the face will appear.
An unpleasant sound during sleep may be caused by enlarged adenoids.
Snoring in a child may occur when the nose is blocked due to a foreign object being there. Small children under one year of age and older may, due to curiosity, stick small objects (toys, parts from them, etc.) into their nose and ears. At the same time, the baby has snot, which is useless to treat with sprays and drops.
Why does a child snore in his sleep, but there is no snot?
The main cause of snoring or rhonchopathy in humans is some kind of obstruction that occurs in the respiratory tract.
In the presence of this phenomenon, the natural circulation of air masses is disrupted. Most often, the obstacle may be:
- enlarged tonsils;
- change in the size of the uvula;
- adenoids;
- sky.
If a child breathes through his nose in his sleep, but continues to snore, there is a possibility that the body is prone to epileptic seizures. This manifests itself after birth or develops as a result of psychological trauma. This condition requires immediate treatment. If epilepsy is left untreated, apnea often occurs.
A child's snoring during sleep can be caused by various reasons.
Diseases of the nasopharynx
Ronchopathy does not pose any danger if it develops as a result of a previous pathology of the ENT organs. After a sore throat, tonsillitis or pharyngitis, the tonsils continue to remain enlarged for some period of time. This is completely normal. The unnatural size of the tonsils prevents normal air circulation, causing breathing problems and snoring.
To understand whether the tonsils are enlarged or not, it is necessary to conduct an examination. To do this, just touch the baby’s throat; you will feel the tubercles under your fingers. Also, the increase can be calculated by the symptoms that are characteristic of this type of deviation. If children sleep with their mouths open, their nose is stuffy, and there is no snot, this is a clear sign of a change in the size of the tonsils. They are the ones who cause difficulty breathing.
Chronic form of tonsillitis
The disease is always accompanied by enlarged adenoids. This occurs due to lymphoid tissue. Its growth causes obstruction to air flow. When the baby sleeps, the muscles of the pharynx relax. In this case, a narrowing of the lumen occurs.
In turn, this leads to snoring
It is important to understand that the tonsils continue to remain enlarged for a long time after suffering from a cold. Snoring after illness is a natural phenomenon
In rare cases, breathing stops.
Ronchopathy and adenoids
Unfortunately, inflammation of the adenoids is a fairly common occurrence. It is characterized by the presence of an inflammatory process occurring in the child’s nasopharynx. As the disease progresses, swelling appears in the tissues. In turn, their appearance causes enlargement of the tonsils. The air cannot circulate freely as before.
The only way out, according to many parents, is surgery. This treatment option is considered one of the most effective. But it may not always give the maximum result, due to possible relapses:
- After the operation, children may experience the development of an allergic reaction. The reason for this is medical negligence or the influence of hereditary factors.
- Removal of adenoids ahead of schedule. If the operation is performed in advance, complications with the respiratory system may occur. The child may begin to snore later.
- Poor removal of tonsil tissue.
According to the listed reasons, the child may encounter such an unpleasant phenomenon as rhonchopathy or snoring. Enlarged tonsils should not be ignored under any circumstances. Parents must understand that this is a serious problem for the baby's body. In the absence of timely treatment, adenoids can cause hypoxia.
Diagnostics
When your child starts snoring, you should immediately consult a doctor. This is important for timely diagnosis and initiation of treatment. The very first thing the otolaryngologist will do is examine the nasopharynx, perform rhinoscopy, laryngoscopy.
If the child is over 3 years old, then it is important to conduct a survey and talk with him. Namely, ask when the nose became stuffy, if there was pain in this area, dizziness, etc. Less often they resort to other research methods.
In order to diagnose the cause of snoring, it is necessary to contact a pediatric ENT specialist.
Adenoids
Due to the lymphoid tissue, which prevents the normal passage of air, the lumen of the pharynx narrows, short-term stops in pulmonary breathing occur, so you can hear the child snoring in his sleep. He has difficulty breathing through his nose and will sleep with his mouth open. Because of snoring, your baby will feel tired and sleep-deprived in the morning. And this affects the child’s memory and attention.
Such diseases are treated by an otolaryngologist. If it is possible to treat conservatively, then choose it. When there are no other options (advanced form), they resort to surgical treatment.
Snoring and adenoids
If we discard such causes of children's night snoring as respiratory diseases and colds, then there are still many other external and internal factors that can provoke this phenomenon. And the second most common reason why a child snores at night is enlarged adenoids.
Adenoids are a natural formation consisting of lymphoid tissue, which is located on the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. It, being part of the body's immune system, performs an important protective function - it fights pathogenic microflora that enters with the air inhaled through the nose, preventing it from penetrating deeper into the respiratory tract.
In children with strong immune systems, small adenoids produce enough lymphocytes to quickly cope with infection. But if the immune system is weakened, then the body increases the volume of lymphoid tissue, and the adenoids begin to grow, blocking the gap between the nasopharynx and larynx. But during sleep, when all the muscles are relaxed, soft tissues can even touch each other, and the air passing through them vibrates, creating snoring.
Enlargement of the adenoids can also occur due to acute or chronic inflammatory processes occurring in the body.
For example, with tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, frequent bronchitis. Children with such problems also often snore at night. And there is only one way to get rid of snoring - by treating the adenoids or removing them surgically.
Chronic tonsillitis
The presence of chronic tonsillitis is one of the possible causes of snoring in children. The disease begins with a sore throat, dry mouth, and the baby may complain of pain when swallowing and difficulty breathing. Therefore, in a dream, he inhales and exhales through his mouth, which causes snoring in the child.
Chronic tonsillitis can cause snoring in children
As a conservative treatment, antibiotics are prescribed to combat pathogenic microflora. You can also rinse your throat and go to physiotherapeutic procedures. Immunotherapy is mandatory. Treatment is carried out throughout the year, it is used once every 6 months. If this does not bring results, surgical removal of the tonsils is performed.
Why is it dangerous?
If snoring occurs from time to time when a child has a runny nose, then parents should not worry. You need to examine your baby if he regularly makes low-frequency sounds in his sleep. In addition to the fact that the child experiences discomfort and does not get enough sleep, severe snoring leads to oxygen starvation of the heart muscle, brain tissue and other organs, which over time provokes the occurrence of serious diseases. Pathology can be suspected based on the following conditions of the child:
- whims, irritation;
- aggressive behavior;
- chronic fatigue;
- nightmares at night;
- hyperactivity;
- impaired concentration;
- slow mental development;
- nocturnal enuresis;
- inhibition of metabolic processes due to lack of proper rest.
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Angina
Sore throat or acute tonsillitis most often affects the tonsils. With a sore throat, the baby will feel a sore throat; upon examination, severe swelling and hyperemia will be visible. This is why a child snores in his sleep with a sore throat. With recurrent tonsillitis, the tonsils will be enlarged even after recovery, which means snoring will also be audible.
For treatment, you need to arrange bed rest for the child. The main thing here is not to cure snoring, but to eliminate the causes, that is, sore throat and swelling. The main drug is an antibiotic; various sprays are also used. If everything was done correctly, then in a week the baby can sleep peacefully at night.
Sore throat requires bed rest and treatment with antibiotics
Allergy
Often the causes of snoring are allergies. When an allergen enters the body, the mucous membranes swell and the tonsils and adenoids increase in size. It is difficult for the child to breathe through his nose at night; he sleeps with his mouth slightly open. Therefore, you should not be surprised if your child snores in his sleep. Such children often suffer from colds. The child often coughs, sneezes, and has snot.
With allergies, a child may have a stuffy nose so that it is difficult for him to breathe through his nose during the day, and not just at night. The child's condition is easier when there is no allergen nearby. In this case, there are special medications that help relieve the symptoms.
What is the difference between baby snoring and snoring?
In childhood, the development of snoring without the formation of mucous nasal discharge may indicate the development of serious pathologies of the upper respiratory tract and internal organs.
Some parents confuse the concepts of “snoring” and “sniffling.” Sniffling is a common occurrence in newborns and infants. This is due to the adaptive period in the baby’s life. Due to the physiological narrowness of the nasal passages, rustling sounds with periodic “grunting” occur - this is considered the norm.
At an older age, children sniffle for other reasons, and many parents choose a “wait-and-see” approach, that is, they wait for the night snoring to stop, but this is the wrong decision. If snoring is detected, it is necessary to monitor the frequency and depth of breathing during the period of rest and active games. This is done in order not to aggravate the possible pathology.
The main difference between snoring and snoring is the sound the baby makes. Snoring is a deep, loud vibrating frequency, even small children can snore very loudly (for their age). Sounds are characterized by low vibrations from 40 dts. Infantile glanders is characterized by soft nasal sounds, they are difficult to distinguish, and they arise for completely different reasons not related to pathologies:
Presence of mucus or crusts in the nose;- Individual hypersensitivity;
- Narrow nasal passages (in newborns);
- Gases in the intestines.
In some cases, glanders can develop into rhonchopathy. Pathology can be suspected or even detected by observing the child’s nocturnal behavior. If snoring appears during night sleep and short-term breath holding occurs at long intervals, after which the child takes a deep breath, then most likely he has pre-snoring syndrome. Gradually, the intervals between holding the breath shorten, and the child begins to “suffer” from rhonchopathy.
A short breath hold followed by a deep breath is called apnea, which leads to the development of secondary pathologies due to snoring.
Foreign body
More often, parents with children aged 3 to 6 years come to the ENT specialist. At about 3 years old, children become especially interested and curious about everything, and it is difficult to keep track of them. You need to be wary when a child has snot for more than a week, when he begins to breathe heavily through his nose (the thought of a foreign object should appear if not the entire nose is blocked, but only one nostril). At night the baby will snore. If an object is in the nose for a long time, the snot will be replaced by pus.
In some cases, snoring is caused by a foreign body stuck in the nasal passages
If this is a child 3 years old or older, then it is easier to find out the reasons. During the interview, he can remember why his nose is stuffy. In addition, he can describe sensations and symptoms. It is difficult to examine a child under 3 years of age, especially if he has not yet begun to speak. In this case, in order to determine the cause, they resort to diagnostic methods. For example, ultrasound, x-ray, tomography, etc.
During treatment, an older child will be able to calmly undergo the procedure to remove a foreign object, and this must be done. The baby will be restless for up to a year and removal will be extremely difficult. Removal of the object is carried out under local anesthesia. Only in rare cases, when the object is far away, is surgical treatment resorted to.
