In childhood - usually from one to seven years of age - some children snore during sleep. Children's snoring is far from harmless and needs the close attention of parents, although it is not always a consequence of pathology.
Causes of baby snoring
Young parents need to know that snoring for babies from one month to one year is a normal, physiological phenomenon. It is associated with the weak development of the respiratory tract and restructuring in the work of the nasopharynx.
The pronounced snoring of the baby that appears at night may indicate the onset of the disease. Snoring is one of the first signs of developing acute respiratory disease, as a result of which there is swelling of the nasopharynx, and the child cannot breathe normally. Often, all because of the same edema, the baby begins not only to snore at night, but also to cough. In this case, the symptoms of snoring disappear after the underlying disease is cured.
The described mechanism of snoring is also typical for allergic rhinitis.
Snoring in young children can be caused by a foreign body entering the nasal passages. In case of suspicion of this, it is necessary to examine the nasal passages and take measures to clean them, it is often necessary to do this in a polyclinic or even a hospital.
A very common cause is the child's overweight. In this case, the baby needs to adjust the diet and try to involve him in physical education in order to reduce excess weight.
Physiological changes leading to snoring
The reasons described are the most harmless. But the cause of children's snoring can also be a serious pathological process. For example - an increase in the lymphoid tissue located in the nasopharynx, these are the so-called adenoids. The lymphoid tissue located deep in the nasopharynx performs a protective function in the child's body, it prevents the penetration of viruses and bacteria and transmits information to the body to produce antibodies in response to infectious agents. In case of significant blockage of air passage, the doctor may advise the removal of the adenoids. But in cases that are not severe, conservative treatment without removal is also possible.
Another serious cause can be a serious illness such as epilepsy, i.e. the appearance in the brain of pathological foci of electrical activity. As a result, even cases of apnea are possible, i.e. respiratory arrest. In the case of this disease, in principle, the risk of primary snoring is increased, and it can also occur after a seizure during sleep, when saliva flows into the upper respiratory tract and, therefore, snoring appears.
If the parents have any suspicions, an urgent need to contact a neurologist, who will prescribe a special diagnostic study to identify epilepsy and prescribe timely treatment.
The cause of childhood snoring can also be a congenital malformation of the jaw system, when the lower jaw, during the supine position, moves back and partially blocks the airway. In this case, it is necessary to consult with the surgeon, since this problem can be solved.
