Sleep Apnea In Children Can Produce Substantially Lower IQ Scores
Although it has been known for a long time that children who have sleep apnea frequently display relatively low scores on IQ tests (normally producing an average of 85 against a score of 101 for children who are not suffering from sleep apnea) one thing that we have not known until quite recently is that this arises out of chemical changes in the brain. In other words an otherwise intelligent child may well turn in a run of the mill performance as a result of nothing more than a sleep disorder that, in almost all cases, can be treated quite easily.
In a study undertaken at the Hopkin’s Children’s Centre in Baltimore, 31 kids aged between 6 and 16 (19 of whom had severe sleep apnea) were examined with a special form or magnetic resonance imager (MRI) and it was noted that those children suffering from sleep apnea showed major changes in the right frontal cortex and hippocampus which are parts of the brain which are linked to higher mental function and learning.
This same study also discovered that these children were suffering from altered levels of three brain chemicals which were indicative of brain damage. This alteration of the brain chemistry brought about by sleep apnea may or may not be permanent and, at this point, additional studies are required to see whether this effect can be reversed.
Even if reversal is possible however and the brain chemistry and cognitive function can be normalized, children with sleep apnea will suffer a loss in learning as long as they have untreated sleep apnea and will certainly not be able to wind back time and regain this learning period.
Parents should of course already be looking out for signs of sleep apnea in their children but this study clearly demonstrates that early diagnosis and treatment of this sleeping problem could have a considerable affect on a child’s success in later life.
There are several signs of sleep apnea including numerous pauses in breathing during sleep which often result in an arousal from sleep and tossing and turning in bed. Kids may also display loud or labored breathing, snoring, gasping, coughing and, on occasions, bedwetting at a time when should usually have passed.
Parents could also observe a child sleeping in an unusual position, perhaps with their bottom sticking up in the air and their head tilted back in an effort to force their airway clear.
In most cases sleep apnea in children can be effectively treated by taking out the adenoids or tonsils, or by removing excess tissue from the nose or the back of the throat. In addition, a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine (or pediatric CPAP) can also be used to give the child a flow of air delivered using a mask which is worn while sleeping to keep the airway open.
In itself child sleep apnea is incapacitating for any kid and the effect of night after night of poor sleep will take their toll on your child. But, when this is combined with an impairment of your child’s IQ, it becomes essential that you act at the earliest possible opportunity to have this condition diagnosed and treated.
Tags: children, health, health and fitness, Sleep Apnea, sleep disorders, sleeping difficulties