Wait a minute! I thought only my husband snores! Now that you mention it, yes, my child does snore too. This scenario is increasingly more common in today’s age with ever increasing incidence of pediatric obesity.

Occasional, as opposed to regular snoring is not uncommon in kids.

So when should parents be alarmed about their child’s snoring?

• If it occurs in a young infant < 6 months of age
• If it is loud, persistent and if it interferes with the sleep of the child.

What are the common causes?

• Most common cause is swelling of the tonsils or adenoids since snoring occurs primarily when there is narrowing of the airway, much like the flute produces sound when it passes through a narrow tube.
• Obesity increasingly is becoming a cause of snoring just like in adults and is due to deposition of fat around the airway, narrowing it and weakening the muscles that keep the airway open.
• There can be deformities of the face, mouth or nose that can cause snoring

Why should parents be concerned?

Primarily inadequate sleep can lead to:

• Excessive sleepiness during the day.
• Can make the child inattentive, hyperactive and irritable during the day – may get falsely labelled as attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
• If undiagnosed and untreated may even lead to cardiac issues

What should be done?

If snoring is significant – do consult your pediatrician, after examining the child she may ask for:

• Thorough evaluation by a pediatric otorhinolaryngoligist
• Sleep studies (which establishes the diagnosis and finds out how much is the problem affecting the child)

What are the treatment options?

Plenty, and it all depends on whether a basic underlying cause has been identified.  The most important thing is awareness that it is a problem and should not be dismissed (most commonly, as he has taken after his father! – he too snores so loudly, runs in the family!)