Sleep Apnea In Children May Result In Noticeably Reduced IQ Scores

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Despite the fact that we have known for a considerable time now that children who have sleep apnea often turn in low scores on IQ tests (normally scoring around 85 as opposed to a score of 101 without sleep apnea) what we have not known until very recently is that this results from chemical changes taking place in the brain. This means that a normally 'clever' child might well turn in a middle of the road performance because of nothing more than a sleep disorder that can be relatively simply treated in most instances.

In a recent study that was conducted at the Hopkin's Children's Centre in Baltimore a total of 31 children aged between 6 and 16 (19 of whom had severe sleep apnea) were examined with a special form or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and it was discovered that those children with sleep apnea demonstrated considerable changes in both the hippocampus and right frontal cortex - two areas of the human brain that are associated with learning and higher mental function. This same study also found that these children had abnormal levels of three chemicals in the brain which is an indicator of brain damage.

This change in the brain chemistry stemming from the presence of sleep apnea could or could not be permanent and additional studies will be required to see whether this affect can be reversed. However, even if this problem can be reversed and the cognitive function and chemistry of the brain can be normalized, children who suffer from sleep apnea are going to have a loss in learning as long as they are suffering from sleep apnea that is left untreated and they will certainly be unable to turn back the clock and recover this period of learning.

Parents should of course already be looking for signs of sleep apnea in their children but this study shows that the early diagnosis of this sleep disorder could well have a very large affect on your child's life.

The indications of sleep apnea could include recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep that frequently cause an arousal from sleep and both tossing and turning in bed. Children might also display labored and loud breathing, snoring, coughing, gasping and, occasionally, bedwetting at an age when this phase ought normally to have passed. Parents may additionally note that a child is sleeping in an odd position, perhaps with their bottom sticking up in the air and their head tilted back in an unconscious effort to force their airway open.

In the majority of instances child sleep apnea may be treated by surgically removing both the tonsils and adenoids or of excess tissue from the rear of the throat or from the nose. In addition, a CPAP (continuous positive airways pressure) machine may also be recommended to provide the child with air which is delivered through a mask worn while sleeping to maintain an open airway.

In itself sleep apnea is debilitating for any child and the affects of night after night of restless sleep will take a toll on your child. However, when this is mixed with an impairment of a child's IQ, it becomes crucial that you act at the earliest possible opportunity to have this problem diagnosed and treated.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Help-Me-To-Sleep.com provides extensive information and advice on a whole range of sleep disorders including sleep apnia and sleep apnea children

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