Snoring Preschoolers - CareforKids.com.au®

New Study - Snoring Preschoolers
Loud snoring in preschoolers may impact behaviour

Have you noticed any kids in your service who snore loudly or often than the other kids? New research suggests that you would be wise to advise parents to have a chat to their doctors.

A new study from the US suggests that kids who persistently snore may be more likely to have behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, inattentiveness and depression.

Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre followed 249 kids from birth to age three and found that nine per cent of the children who snored loudly two or three times per week when they were ages two and three were more likely to display behavioural issues at age three than kids who didn't snore or who only snored at age two or age three.

Lead researcher Dean Beebe, Ph.D said in a statement that most kids snore sometimes, especially if they have a cold, but when the snoring is loud and persists it may indicate there is a problem.

"A lot of kids snore every so often, and cartoons make snoring look cute or funny. But loud snoring that lasts for months is not normal, and anything that puts young kids at that much risk for behavioral problems is neither cute nor funny. That kind of snoring can be a sign of real breathing problems at night that are treatable," said Dr Beebe.

The researchers did not examine the reasons why children snore, but studies on animals show continual snoring may affect behavior in two ways - through poor sleep quality or bad air exchange.

Prior research shows that if the part of the brain that controls moods is not properly rested and does not get proper exchange of oxygen, the brain is altered, which can cause irritability. Dr Beebe says the mood and behavior of young children may be affected in similar ways.

The researchers also noted that breast-feeding, especially over longer periods of time, seemed to protect toddlers against persistent snoring, even after taking into account other factors in the child's life.

Findings of the study were published in a recent issue of Pediatrics and even though this particular study is small, it follows another larger study also published in Pediatrics which found a similar link.

In this study, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine followed more than 13,000 American kids and found that sleep-disordered breathing, which can manifest as snoring, was a predictor of conditions like anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age seven according to MSNBC.

In his blog P.J. Skerrett, senior editor at Harvard Health, explained a possible reason for why snoring or sleep-disordered breathing might be linked to these sorts of problems:

The brain does a lot of growing and developing during infancy and childhood. It is possible that night time breathing problems during those formative years decrease the supply of oxygen to the brain. That could interfere with the development of pathways that control behaviour and mood. It is also possible that breathing problems disturb sleep, and it's the interrupted or poor sleep by itself that may cause trouble in the developing brain.

Sources Huffington Post ABC News