Snoring in children is very common, affecting up to 12% of children. Although snoring alone is not problematic, up to 10% of children who snore actually have obstructive sleep apnea, a serious medical condition. When your child sleeps, his or her muscles relax leading to collapse of the walls of the throat. If the throat collapses completely, your child will temporarily have trouble breathing. Fortunately, the brain quickly realizes the problem and corrects it in a matter of seconds. This is apparent by pauses, grunts, labored breathing, or gasps during sleep. This disruption of breathing can lead to serious problems, including learning difficulties, high blood pressure, and heart and lung disease. Symptoms of this disease can be subtle, but include restless sleep, having more or less energy, and trouble concentrating. If you are concerned that your child is not getting proper sleep, you should discuss this with a physician. Fortunately, this disease is highly curable. The obstruction in children is caused by tonsils and adenoids that block the breathing passage when your child’s throat relaxes during sleep, and removing the tonsils and adenoids cures this disease in well over 90% of children. Talk to your child’s physician, and if you are concerned about your child’s breathing, see an expert in pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat disorders. The physicians at Coastal Ear, Nose and Throat include fellowship-trained Pediatric ENT Surgeons who can evaluate your child and help determine if further testing or treatment is necessary. Visit us on the web at www.coastalhearing.com or call 732-280-7855 for an appointment. Our state of the art facility fully equipped with a fun pediatric waiting room is conveniently located at 3700 Rt 33 in Neptune.

Dr. Samuel Engel is a Fellowship-Trained, Board Certified Pediatric Otolaryngologist.