Deadly Sleep

Every child deserves a good nights sleep. We give you the lowdown on childhood sleep apnoea and information you can sleep on.

for parents, there are few things more heart-warming and pleasing than tucking your precious little angel into bed and watching her sleep; simply seeing her body rise and fall rhythmically and free of awareness is enough to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest and bring forth a “wow, I made that” moment (or a she’s-finally-asleep sense of relief…). Conversely, hearing your child snore in her sleep or toss and turn throughout the night can be vexing, and in some cases, even worrying. She could be displaying signs of sleep apnoea. Contrary to the general impression that sleep apnoea is a sleeping disorder that afflicts mainly grown-ups (think middle-aged men who snore), it can affect anyone, even young children. Occurring more commonly than we think, it is estimated that one to four percent of children suffer from sleep apnoea, with many of them falling between two to eight years old.

Pillow Wars

The most common type of sleep apnoea is obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which happens when muscles in the back of the throat relax and collapse, causing a recurrent blockage of the upper airway. This leads to reduced airflow into the lungs, which causes sleep disruption as the brain briefly rouses you from your sleep to reopen your airway. A child with sleep apnoea will experience interrupted breathing that stops and starts repeatedly. He may also make occasional choking or gasping sounds between five to 30 times an hour throughout the night.