My 5 year old son snores so loud. We used to joke around it but now I’m concerned it might be a sign of a bigger problem. Is it normal for kids to snore?
It is not uncommon to hear some degree of snoring when a child has a cold. However, if your child is snoring on a regular basis, it could be a sign of a more significant problem: sleep disordered breathing or sleep apnea. Chronic snoring is definitely something to let your pediatrician know about.. Poor quality of sleep, and frequent nighttime awakenings in the setting of chronic snoring may indicate apnea. Several factors may contribute to snoring. This may include tonsillar size, underlying muscle tone, and weight. Choking or gagging episodes overnight, poor quality of sleep, and pauses in breathing are definite red flags that should be brought to the attention of your physician. Your pediatrician may refer you to a pediatric ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat) physician or a pulmonologist who can perform a sleep study to assess the dynamics of sleep. Sleep is important for working memory, cognition, growth, and development, so ensuring healthy, restful sleep for our children is imperative.
