Why Does My Child Snore? Is it Normal?

Hopefully well before your child has his first birthday, he will be sleeping through the night.  Perhaps you have established some cozy bedtime rituals, or perhaps you suffered through some variation of ‘sleep training’.  However you got there, if your child is sleeping through the night, then mission accomplished.  Or is it?  Don’t close that door and put up your feet so fast.  Many children start to snore during toddlerhood, and this is one of the most under-recognized, yet concerning, conditions in children.

Nearly all children snore at some point during childhood, even before their first birthday, and, for the most part, this is normal.  Snoring is defined as any ‘turbulent’ airflow between the nose and the upper throat.  The noise means that there is a blockage somewhere in the air passages. 

Some children snore because they have a cold, mild allergies, or mild enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids (lymph node tissue in the back of the throat and nose).  Some children will have none of these issues, but may only snore loudly during the very deep stages of sleep, when the muscles in the back of their throat are extremely relaxed, so much so that they hit up against each other and cause a snoring sound.   Some may snore more so when they are on their backs, but are quiet sleepers on their sides or stomachs. 

Mild variations in breathing patterns during a baby or child’s night of sleep are normal, but there are a few things you need to look for, and, more importantly, listen for, during your child’s sleep.  If you hear noise, but your child’s breathing pattern is ‘regular’ (meaning there is a constant beat to it, without pauses or breaks), he likely has a mild degree of snoring, which does not need any further care or concern. 

Keep checking on those noises periodically, to make sure they don’t start sounding worse.  If you hear your child snore very loudly, to the point where you can even hear him from the next room, or if you notice that your child’s snores are intermixed with pauses in his breathing, followed by gasps for air, he may have a more significant problem such as sleep apnea. If you notice that your child has periods where he is trying to breathe (you may see his chest or stomach muscles move up and down), but there is no air movement, followed by a big gasp or cough, these are very likely periods of sleep apnea, or absence of breathing.  This entity, technically termed ‘obstructive sleep apnea, or ‘OSA’’, in the past was considered to be a problem of overweight adults, but it is now clearly recognized that this is a relatively common problem in children.  If you think that your child is really struggling to breathe at night, and you hear loud snoring with pauses in his breathing, he may have a degree of ‘OSA’.  There are multiple possible causes for this, the most common of which is enlargement of the tonsils and adenoids.

There tends to be a period of growth of these structures, usually between ages two and six years. Sometimes the tonsil and adenoid growth is out of proportion to the child’s airway growth, and they can cause breathing problems, primarily during sleep, from taking up too much space. 

No matter how mild or severe your child’s snoring seems to be, it should not be ignored.  It is not ‘cute’, it is not ‘expected because my spouse snores too’ and it is not something that your child necessarily needs to suffer with.  Because snoring implies some degree of airway blockage, your child is not getting an adequate breath each time you hear a snore.  When you hear gasping or pauses, he is using extra effort against a lot of resistance to try to get air to his lungs, alas, unsuccessfully. 

Obstructed breathing during sleep in children has been linked with daytime fatigue, daytime attention difficulties, misdiagnosis of ADHD, poor growth, higher susceptibility to colds, and even worsening asthma.  These kids are functioning on chronic sleep deprivation. Even when you think your child may be getting ten or eleven hours of sleep, if they are snoring loudly, gasping, or tossing and turning, it’s probably more like five or six hours. 

Despite not being well rested, they are still expected to learn, behave, get along with others, stay focused, and stay healthy.  No easy task, even on a great night’s sleep.  Think back to the early days of having a newborn.  Still a blur? That’s because you were sleep deprived! 

If you hear noises from your child’s bedroom, and they are not noises of screaming for mommy or daddy, check out if your child is snoring.  If it’s more than a little sweet noise, keep listening.  Make a quick audio or video of your child during prime noise time, and bring it (and your child) in for a check with your doctor.  There are many causes and many treatments for children with breathing problems during sleep. 

The earlier the problem is identified and treated, the less likely that any long-term effects will occur. Oh, and after you’ve made that Oscar® quality video of your noisy child, don’t forget to make sure you’ve charged your camera or smart phone before you come to the appointment.